


Reyes Meet Waynes

by AmarieMelody



Category: Batman (Comics), Ghost Rider (Comics)
Genre: Bruce is a weird rich white dude to the Reyes, Canon Character of Color, M/M, Non-binary!Jason Todd, Non-superhero AU, Racism against Latinx, Robbie and Jason are dorks, Skunkstripe Bros, Trans!Jason Todd
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-02
Updated: 2016-04-06
Packaged: 2018-03-15 23:42:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 26,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3466427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmarieMelody/pseuds/AmarieMelody
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bruce notices that his second oldest son has been...happier as of late. A bit of fumbling, pleading and angst-fluff and...Robbie & Gabe agree to come to meet Jason's side of the family. Shenanigans ensue as Reyes meet Waynes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Brunch & Suspicions

**Author's Note:**

> A LONG overdue gift for my dearest LSR! Hope you enjoy, honey! :D :D :D 
> 
> Everyone note, also: Jason is trans & non-binary here. :D

It’s gotten better between Jason and Bruce, between father and son. 

Much, much better. 

And see, it has to be understood that neither one of them could’ve imagined that it would be this way. Bruce picked Jason up from off the streets of Crime Alley not six years ago. Brought him into his home, into his world of privileged, wealthy-ass white people. One day Jason was almost feeling like a charity case at least half the time, a reluctant guest in the luxurious behemoth that’s Wayne Manor and the next they’re mutually (though silently) agreed that they’re father and son. 

Didn’t change the fact that Jason grew up on the streets and knew a little something about getting in the dirty nitty gritty of life to survive, to protect others and yourself. Didn’t change the fact that Bruce grew up on the red carpets and can could afford such fancy, indulgent concepts like “fairness” and “compromise” and “codes of honor”. 

Got to be a little rift at first, just a little something that they wouldn’t talk about. And so long as they didn’t talk about it, everything was going to keep going swimmingly. But then the rift grew and grew until they could only be in the same room together for minimal amounts of time. It grew some more and then it was shouting matches. Seething silent treatments and cold shoulders. Slammed doors. A thrown plate or two. Alfred’s red-rimmed eyes. 

And by the time Jason was about seventeen, there wasn’t a damned thing else to say on his side. Wasn’t a damn thing else to do. He moved back to Crime Alley and avoided any and all contact with B. To this day, while Jason’s head and heart are cleared, he winces at…what he put his family, especially Bruce, through. While he was on the streets on Crime Alley, trying to figure out purpose, his gender, his sexuality, his place, his _life_ and thinking he needed no one’s fucking help and flipping off nearly every other human being, his dad was going berserk. Not three days passed where Jason didn’t get a phone call on his cell (which he eventually discarded) that was quietly frantic. He wouldn’t even tell Alfred where he was and he sure as shit didn’t tell Barbara or Dick. 

Bruce finally found him and, by the grace of some kind of communication-and-empathy deity, was able to talk to Jason. Like… _talk_. They actually fucking sat down on Jason’s creaky, threadbare-ass loveseat and talked. No throwing things, no yelling, no stomping away, and only a little bit of beating around the bush and lacking of eye contact. 

It was then, and the many subsequent times that Bruce came to talk straight that Jason realized some shit. Like, realized some real, serious deep shit. The first of which, being that B loves him no matter his gender, his sexuality, his identity, his history. All B asks is that Jason not fall off the face of the earth, that Jason let him know when he messes up so that they can work on it together and Bruce will never do it again. 

The sonofabitch old man loves him. 

Well, shit, by that time, Jason couldn’t really keep the front up anymore. He told the old man he loved and missed him too and, yeah, sure, he likes this new aspect of their relationship where they can…talk. And even hug. There were hugs, too, during those admissions and a few times after, there were hugs and watery eyes and sniffling noses and a lot of bouncing-but-almost-meeting-eye-contact. And by the grace of time and their surrounding family, Jason and Bruce have managed to have and keep a good, close relationship for nearly three years now. It’s good. Really, really good shit. 

So yeah, things are much, much better. 

Jason now sits in the booth-beside-the-window of a snazzy, classy diner one mid-afternoon, waiting for his father to come. B is running late, though, having got stuck in a Wayne Enterprises meeting. It’s alright-B’s been late before and it’s often nothing he can help. And usually “late” doesn’t unexpectedly turn into “have to cancel, sorry” nowadays. So it’s all cool. 

Idly, he fingers the short sleeve of his peasant top. 

Jason’s been feeling femme all week. 

The night before, he shaved and shaved and shaved until he got smooth legs, smooth arms and smooth face. Then this morning, he got out his palettes and pastels and went to work on makeup. The result was dark purple winged eyeliner right above his eyelashes, then soft pink eye shadow on his lids. His palest pink blush dusted his cheekbones and then it was loud ass, bright fuchsia lipstick with similarly-colored lip liner. 

He ditched his binder, already feeling how much easier he would be able to breathe and move with his looser t-shirt bra. It’s one of his favorite t-shirt bras, too-it’s blue-and-white with a polka-dot pattern and its straps provide some of the comfier supports than his other bras. He slipped on matching underwear. 

Over that, Jason wears his light blue peasant top with frills at the hems and a little drawstring at the chest. His pencil skirt is of a slightly dark blue and his dark blue Mary Janes have cute heart buckles on their straps. 

And shit, his hair is rocking in a smooth slick-back with just a few locks hanging over his forehead. “Comets and asteroids hair”, as Gabe calls it.

Speaking of which…

He pulls his phone out and checks the time. It’s 2:22 in the afternoon. His family back in L.A must already be up and at school. He sends a quick text to Robbie. It’s only been two days since he got back from visiting them, but it doesn’t matter if it’s been two days or two hours-any time away from them always feels like too long. 

Much, much too long. 

_Morning 2 the smex & sunshine! Love u both much. Miss u already._

It’s less than thirty seconds when Jason gets a reply. 

_Morning and love u 2. Gabe good. Skool boring_

_Aww sorry. Be over b4 u know it. U get good sleep?_

_Oh yeah. Had day off & good day. What r u doing today?_

_Hanging out w/pops_

_Ohh. Cool_

_Yeah. When can I see u again?_

_Whenever. Always miss u & u always welcome_

The bell atop the shop’s door gives a cheery _d-ding_ and Jason turns around in his booth to see Bruce walking in. He’s dressed casual in that subtle billionaire way. His Henley is a dark green with two of the three buttons undone. It’s tucked into dark blue jeans, the designer of which Jason can’t guess from where he sits. He puts his sunglasses atop his fashionably-messy head of black hair. He’s salt-and-peppering at the temples. His shoes are…so not-Bruce. They’re Nikes with dark green laces. 

Probably Cass. Most definitely Cass. Maybe along with Stephanie. 

But especially, certainly Cass. 

He sends a quick text to his boyfriend. _B’s here. Gotta go. Tttyl & much love_

Jason rises at the same time Bruce reaches the booth. They embrace each other. 

It took years and years for them to realize it, but they both hug the same, exact way. They go in with the wide arms first, allowing the other person even more room than they need so they know of their absolute welcome without words. Then it’s one, two maybe three hearty claps on the back. Gentler, softer claps on the back if it’s a person that’s older or younger, more fragile. After that comes the squeezing. Tight, tight squeezing to the point where two heartbeats are meshed together and they won’t be the first person to let go. 

Jason is the first to let go and he smiles at B. “Glad to see you again, old man.” 

Bruce smiles at his second child as they take their seats. “And it’s wonderful to see you again, Jay. How was your trip?” 

“Great, actually. Had a lot of fun, got to help a lot of people.” Jason did charity work in his own way all around the country, with Talia’s help and support. No need to tell Bruce his final destination once he’s done all of his work on the way…

Their waitress, Shirley, comes and takes their orders. Jason stays right with all that is just and holy by ordering a personal pizza with double cheese, sausage, pepperoni, ham, more sausage and a cheese-filled crust. Bruce carelessly sins against all that is just and holy by ordering his usual: a usual BLT sandwich with a side of lightly-salted fries. And no thank you, he does not want extra bacon on it. 

“What?” Bruce asks as they hand their menus to Shirley. 

Jason just shakes his head as he stares at his dad. “…No one else on this planet comes into a diner and orders _the_ plainest BLT sandwich known to humankind. Like, I don’t think the Earth’s axis can take much more of this, B. It’s beyond ridiculous.” 

Bruce’s brow creases in confusion. “I don’t understand how my BLT is ‘plain’. It comes with cheese doesn’t it?” 

“Well, yeah, you got cheese on it, but you don’t even have _extra_ cheese on it. Or extra bacon. So it’s against the rules.” 

“But someone has to order and enjoy it, don’t they? Otherwise the shop is going to lose money from importing the ingredients.” He takes his sunglasses off his head and slips them into his breast pocket. “So can we at least say that I’m a good patron?” 

They stare at each other in silence for a moment. Then Jason slowly shakes his head and says in a deadpan voice, “No. No we cannot, B. We just…cannot. You have failed all of humanity with this kind of travesty.” 

“Well, I think I know something that will cheer you up, as well as help all of humanity again.” Bruce pulls out a card from his pocket and proffers it to Jason. 

Frowning, Jason takes it and notes how expensive the stiff, starchy paper is. His eyes widen upon seeing the insignia on the front and he immediately opens it to read the contents. 

His smile is wide when he finishes reading. “You’re helping to fund a new makeup and fashion workshop for us trans people at designer Xin Ning’s new shop? Are you serious?” Jason looks up from the card at his father, his smile as wide as ever. 

Bruce smiles back shyly. Jason can tell that he’s resisting to rub the back of his neck in sheepishness. “Well, I just…it’s just that…it’s important for you to know that you always have my support. And Xin Ning has always been a progressive designer that’s had a genuine history of helping transgender people in any way she can, as you well know. So I thought I’d…help her help. It’s really…nothing huge. It’s just-”

“Uhh…hell fucking yeah it is, B? This is completely free and no pictures are going to be taken without express permission, too? Completely anonymous? Shit, you got no idea how much that helps people. I love it. I think I’ll go! Thanks a bunch!” He reverently slides the card into his dark pink Hello Kitty purse (a heartfelt Christmas gift from Gabe). 

“I’m glad…I’m glad that you like it and I hope you enjoy it, really. Xin Ning is a great ally, yes?” 

“Hell yeah. Her makeup and clothes are really affordable, too. And they come in all sizes so no one feels like their parts are being squeezed out of existence, or shit’s too baggy and doesn’t fit. I give ‘em out to the people I help.” Jason tactfully leaves out how he gets ahold of said makeup and clothes and Bruce just as tactfully doesn’t ask. 

“I use them myself, too. Like it?” He turns his face full-frontal to his dad, smiling wide once again so his lipstick is shown to full relief. 

Bruce nods eagerly as their food and drinks arrive. “I do. Very much. You’re very good at feathering all of that color in. It looks good.” 

Jason blinks. “It’s…it’s called ‘blending’, B. ‘Blending’.” 

A light, blood-based blush dusts his dad’s cheeks as he takes a bite of his Satan-spawned sandwich. “Sorry, I thought that was…the new term for it.” 

“You really are an old man”, Jason laughs as he tucks into his own properly-loaded pizza. 

“I am not. You children switch up the new ‘cool’ terms before we adults can even catch up. One month, we finally have a word down and it’s not three months later until you’re changing it for another. So I suggest you slow down.” 

“Nope. Never.” 

“Then ‘feathering’ it is.” 

They both laugh at that. Bruce’s laugh is quiet, even quieter than the twinkling of a chandelier while Jason’s is more like the braying of an ass, especially around a straw. 

But then again, that’s what the little demon back home says, so Jay ain’t paying that shit any attention. When was the last time he entrapped that demon and cuddled him to within an inch of his ten-year-old life anyway? Probably been too long-he’s gonna have to rectify that soon. 

Conversation between Jason and Bruce keeps an easy, regular flow. They rib each other; ask how this project is going; if that event is still going to happen; what the others are up to. Barbara is thriving right alongside her technical and disability support program for those in need of research, shelters, domestic abuse support and the like (she and Jay have and still continue to make a great team). Cassandra and Stephanie are living it up in their own apartment right next to Barb’s, where they’ve rapidly become addicted to creating Vines and have become Vine superstars in their own righy. Damian (the demon) is still at home at the Manor and has been throwing passive-aggressive temper tantrums Wayne-style in regards to wanting Jason to come visit more often. Tim is with Damian and probably suffering the brunt of his younger bro’s tantrums when Bruce and Alfred aren’t looking. Dick is alternating his time between Bludhaven as a police officer and home. 

Life is…good for his family right now. For the most part, they’re all in a really, really good place and though neither of them show it much outwardly, that fact is a balm on Bruce and Jason’s hearts.

It’s certainly helped to be a balm on their relationship and vice versa. 

They get refills and Bruce’s voice is quiet as he finds something fascinating in the napkin dispenser. “You’ve been…happier lately. I’m glad for it.” 

Jason blinks and remembers to swallow his huge gulps of cherry coke. “Yeah, we all have been, B. Ain’t that what we’ve been talking about for the past fifteen minutes or so?” 

“Well, yes. But I meant…” The napkin dispenser becomes even more fascinating. “Your trips. You always seem much happier when you come back from your trips.” 

“Oh yeah, those. Well, I like helping people. It’s just my calling-what I’m ‘posed to do. Got too much of you in me, huh?” Jason winks and goes right back to working on his pizza. He’s damn near effortless at lying. Learned from the best. 

He loves his dad, but he’s just not going anywhere near his Los Angeles family, near the Reyes. That shit is just a disaster in the making and Jason knows who gets hurt and stays hurt in the end. He’s played that game before. He’s not going to let his family play it. They got more than enough shit to deal with in their daily lives as it is. 

But Bruce’s voice doesn’t carry any jocularity. It’s quiet and firm. “No, that part of you doesn’t come from me. You had that capacity to help people inside you long, long before I came into the picture, Jason.” 

Goddamned fucking shit. 

Bruce can smell something. 

Quietly desperate to keep hiding, Jason crosses his legs and chews more slowly in a pretend-attempt at being embarrassed with the Bruce-style praise. He avoids eye contact, his long lashes fluttering down to create shadows over his rouged cheeks. “Well, yeah. Guess I’m kinda alright. Not too bad.” 

“No, no you’re not ‘too bad’ at all, Jason. Far from it.” 

“Well…thanks.” 

Bruce makes a dismissive wave of his hand. “I just told the truth.” 

It’s silent at their table now. Bordering on awkward. They both know that Bruce is onto something, but neither one know how far to push it. Jason doesn’t know how close to obsessive-detective Bruce is getting and Bruce doesn’t know how much more he can safely probe right now. 

Jason is the one to rescue them. “So did you see Cass and Steph’s new bubblegum Vine? Last time I talked to Cass, they were planning on doing a series of different-flavored gum because it got so popular. Especially when they kept holding contests to see who could blow the biggest bubbles. Uhh…Cass was the only one who liked the sour apple and Steph was the only one who liked the grape. Can’t wait to see them debate over it soon.” 

Bruce smiles gratefully for the rescue. “You know, that baby sister of yours sent me over twenty emails within two hours just a few days ago, insisting that I watch it. And then there was the caption ‘Bruce, you better comment on it, too’ from Stephanie. So, yes, I was forced to watch it and I think it was one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen.” 

“Aw, but did you leave a comment, old man?” 

“I did, actually. Even with an emoticon.” 

Jason’s eyes widen and he leans back from Bruce. “Wait, wait, wait. _You_ know how to use emoticons? Well holy fucking shit, someone sound the presses!” He downs the rest of his cherry coke like a shot while the other man rolls his eyes and sips his water. “So, like, do you use a thundercloud emote for when you say something happy? And then you use a happy emote for when you say something sad? Truly, oh great father of mine, Bruce Wayne, how fare your system of emoticons?!” 

“You are hilarious. Simply hilarious, Jason.” Bruce’s voice is dry and affectionate in that way that only he can ever manage to be. 

“Ehh, try. But sometimes I think it comes naturally, too.” 

Their late morning brunch continues on in relative calmness and amicability. It’s almost like that moment of awkwardness, of Bruce nearly hitting on something he shouldn’t never even happened. 

But they both know that’s a lie. Even as they rib and laugh and joke, they’re both sure it’ll be revisited again. 

It’s truly a miraculous testament to how far their relationship has been able to come that that unspoken fact doesn’t affect their goodbye at the end of their brunch. Both men still hug embrace each other warmly and tightly and Jason is still the first to let go. Bruce reminds Jason to visit Xin Ning and Jason reminds Bruce to check regularly for new Vines from Cass and Steph. 

Bruce, still, wants to know who and/or what is responsible for making his second son so, so happy.


	2. Just Ask & Try

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a LOT of eating in this chapter, oh my goodness. It wasn't until I started editing that I noticed. So extra content warning for all the eating and food, dears! Now, without further ado! Onwards to the story!

“Robbie, please, _no_!”

“Look, bro, I’m trying my best here. But I can’t promise you anything…at least tomorrow is Saturday, though, right?”

"No, don’t do this to me! Don’t make it look uneven!” Gabe giggles.

“Uhh…I’ll try. But I think you’re kind of too late for that, you know? Like, thirty seconds too late. ‘M sorry, Gabe…”

“ _Holy Grey Ghost_ , no!”

Gabe sits in the kitchen as Robbie trims his younger brother’s hair. Gabe has his eyes closed as Robbie told him to and he can feel the orange warmth of the evening sun coming in through the kitchen window behind his lids. Instead of telling him to move his head this way and that as he trims his brother’s hair, Gabe can hear Robbie moving around to get the angles he needs. Robbie’s socked feet gently pad against the tiles, mingling gently with Gabe’s giggles.

They both know that Robbie could never mess the younger boy’s hair up. Robbie’s been carefully trimming Gabe’s hair since forever. No, Robbie’s got this. But they both like to at least pretend that Robbie doesn’t know what he’s doing, to make this comparatively simple routine into a playful tryst. 

But if Gabe says “Holy Grey Ghost” one more time, Robbie just might slip with the scissors in his hands and make a lock of hair uneven. That shit’s too funny and cute. 

Hell, just about everything about his brother is too funny and cute. It makes him one of the luckiest people on the planet. 

Soon Robbie’s done with the trimming. He double-checks his work, and then he gets the comb out. His little brother’s hair is just as thick and deeply sepia-colored as his. Shine enough sunlight on it and you can see the cheerful red highlights bouncing around with the shine. And, like Robbie’s, parts of it stick out and to the side in tight curls. The scent of his favorite shampoo, raspberry, is rife throughout and Robbie can’t help but take deep, deep inhales. 

His hands are gentle as they use the end of the comb to make Gabe’s desired part for his bangs. When Robbie’s sure his brother’s bangs are in the correct place, he combs through the rest of Gabe’s hair. Brings part of it down over his ears, the back part curling around the nape of his neck, and the rest of it sticking out. Next is dusting off the cut hair from Gabe’s shirt; Robbie will sweep all of that up later. He steps back from his brother, satisfied that Gabe’s hair looks good as new. 

“Alright, bro! I…tried my best. Can’t guarantee anything. Wanna mirror?” 

Gabe’s eyes snap open and he grimaces up at his older brother. “Why should I want a mirror? Just to see how much damage you’ve done?” 

“Well ya know I did try really hard. I really, really did. It just gets harder and harder every time I try, kiddo.” Shaking his head, Robbie hands Gabe the mirror. 

Gabe takes it, his grimace still pronounced…and sees that he looks just right. He even shakes his head a little, making the stray parts of his hair especially bounce. He looks back up at Robbie and giggles. “Why are you always messing with me?!” 

Robbie shrugs, his smile wide and loving. “Aww, just ‘cause I love you so much. Doncha know by now that older siblings show love by messing with you?” 

Gabe grins and hands the mirror back. “Well yeah, but it’s still not fair! I’m gonna get you back for this! I swear, I am!” 

“Well, I’m gonna wait for that day and when it comes, I will surely deserve whatever the great Gabriel Reyes doles out.” Robbie leans down and plants a huge, wet kiss on his brother’s cheek. “Now how about you go wash up and tackle that homework while I clean up and get dinner on?” 

“Sure! And since it’s Friday, can I watch TV while I do my homework too? Pretty, pretty please?” 

See, it’s times like these when Robbie’s not quite sure that his little brother is human or, at least, fully human. Because when Gabe wants something that he’s not supposed to? Like when he wants a sweet before dinner? When he wants the fourth comic book in a series even when he ain’t even finished the first one? When he wants to stay up an extra hour or two to watch TV or just to cuddle with Robbie and read comics?

When he wants to watch TV while doing his homework? 

With other kids-other, probably _human_ kids-there’s pouting. There’s whining. There’s sulking. There’s bugging. That kind of predictable, kind-of-annoying shit. 

But Gabe? No. Nope. Nu uh. See, Gabriel Reyes pulls this face, this posture. He hunches his already-narrow shoulders in just a little, creating the illusion that he’s twice as small as he actually is. His lips curve just the slightest bit upward to form into a trembling little pout. Those big, big bright hazel eyes go rounder than ever and look just a tad bit moist. The thick, dark lashes framing those eyes flutter. 

Gabe’s gonna _destroy_ a future partner with those lips and those eyes and those lashes someday. Just wait and watch-Robbie’s gonna see him destroy another human being that he’s in love and intimate with like this. Robbie doesn’t even know how he’s managed to survive himself all this time, with Gabe’s face. Probably just because he’s had to survive in order to take care of him all this time. 

Either way, though, Gabe always pulls this when he wants something that’s not exactly good for him. Sometimes it doesn’t work, most of the time it does. 

And the kicker this time? Was that Robbie wasn’t even _planning_ on saying ‘no’. He usually lets Gabe watch TV while doing homework on Fridays because, obviously, time expands to the whole weekend.

He wasn’t even going to say no, and Gabe pulls this shit. Almost every time, Gabe pulls this shit and wreaks havoc with Robbie’s mind and heart and overall resolve. 

Like, seriously. The option of saying ‘no’ didn’t even cross his mind. And the worst part is that this isn’t even Gabe’s revenge against him. Naw, that’s gonna come later in some other form. He just knows it.

With a deep, deep sigh and a playful roll of his eyes, Robbie grouses, “Oh, I guess so. Just make sure you at least make a dent in it, yeah?” 

He ruffles his brother’s newly-trimmed hair and is rewarded with a smile that could knock out the damn sun. 

“Okay, I will! Thanks Robbie!” With that, Gabe zooms off to his bedroom, practically vibrating with happiness in his wheelchair. 

Robbie shakes his head, smiling. He gets out the broom to clean up the hair. Damn kid’s gonna be the death of him with that face, really…

Once in his bedroom, Gabe gets out a fresh pair of underwear and his favorite pajamas-She-Hulk patterned ones, a birthday gift from Jason. With his clothing held in his lap, he grabs his dark green ipod (one of Robbie’s Christmas gifts last year, and Robbie’s is a shiny silver) and little ipod speaker too. He then zooms into the bathroom. 

Gabe usually likes to shower before dinner, while Robbie likes to shower afterwards. 

Their bathroom is large enough so Gabe can maneuver his wheelchair and his body around. In their bathtub are built-in benches, rails, and a removable shower head for him. Robbie’s always bought him one of those colorful bath poufs with a long, long handle and easy-squeeze kid body washes. His bath pouf this time is a bright blue with a smooth wooden handle and his body wash is Princess Tiana-themed (it was either the last or only bottle in the store and Gabe grabbed it like a starving vulture). 

He sets his clothing on the sink’s counter and, atop that, his iPod and speaker. With a grin, he sets his iPod to play Garnet’s _Stronger Than You_ , making the volume just loud enough that he can hear it over the shower spray. 

It’s all a matter of routine as Gabe strips, pulls himself up onto the bathtub’s bench using the railings, and he’s bathing himself while softly singing along with Garnet. 

_Let’s go, just me and you…let’s go, just one on two…_

Meanwhile, Robbie finishes up sweeping the floor of Gabe’s hair. He washes his hands and gets to working on chicken wings and French fries. A smile comes to his face as he listens to his little brother singing alongside Garnet in the shower. Kid can’t carry a note any more than Robbie can, but any time Gabe’s this happy and carefree is music to Robbie’s ears. He finds himself bobbing his head to the catchy beat as he pre-heats the oven and slices up the potatoes.

It’s when Gabe is squeaky clean and doing homework in front of the new episode of Steven Universe and when Robbie is halfway through baking the chicken wings and frying the French fries that the call comes. Robbie looks at his phone as his cheery ringtone dances through the delicious-smelling air. He smiles at the caller ID.

Robbie hurries into the living room and calls out, “Gabe? You wanna answer this?” 

Without looking away from his math homework, Gabe pipes up, “Is it Jay?” 

“Yep.” 

Gabe’s squeal damn near brings down the entire apartment complex. He drops his pencil and answers his brother’s phone, setting it to speakerphone with a, “ _Jay!_ Hi, Jay! Hi! I missed you!” 

Jason chuckles on the other end of the line. “Hey there, babe! I missed you more! How are you?” 

“Uhh…not so good, actually. Yeah, like, not so good at all. Robbie _destroyed_ me, Jason!”

“He ‘destroyed’ you? How’d that happen, buddy?” 

Gabe glares in the direction of the kitchen, where Robbie’s gone back to finish cooking. “He destroyed my hair, Jay! He cut it all up and now it’s uneven and jagged and whatnot! I even got two new bald spots! It’s so bad!” 

Jason’s gasp over the phone is loud and scandalized. “Holy _Grey Ghost_ , kid. You even got bald spots? Did he do all of that with just scissors? No razor?”

“Just scissors!” Gabe vigorously nods. “Do you know how not-talented you gotta be in trimming someone’s hair to give them a bald spot with just scissors? Jason, the horror is real! It’s real, I tell you!” 

“Oh I can believe it, kid! Jeebus, to give a darn bald spot when all you got are scissors? Yeah, that’s your brother, sunshine. I know you guys got the weekend until Monday, but…I can’t promise you that your hair is gonna grow back to normal any time soon. So sorry, kid.” 

“Aww, are you sure? There’s nothing anybody can do? I look like such a wreck…” 

“Naw, sorry kiddo. You’ll probably just have to wear a hat ‘till Rob’s damage is done. Can’t believe your own brother did this to you…” 

“Yeah, Robbie’s the worst, Jay. He’s the worst. Next time I need a trim, will you do it?” 

“Of course, kid! I think that’s the best way to go!” 

Robbie cuts in, carrying two plates of chicken wings and French fries and a bottle of ketchup under his arm. “Excuse you, I am not the worst. I didn’t mess up your hair that bad. And if you think I’m bad with the scissors, Gabe, you should see your white big brother with a razor and his scruff.” 

Jason’s voice is indignant over the phone. “Uh, no. I am perfectly capable of trimming my scruff. I’m pretty darn good with a razor and scissors. I’ve never given myself a bald spot with _scissors_ either. Only Robbie freaking Reyes could do that crap.”

“You know what? I did my best. And I don’t buy that you’ve never given yourself a bald spot with scissors, either. You’re older than me and I know you’ve done some mess. You’ve messed up before, Jason Todd. So shut up about my clipping and trimming skills, you hypocrite”, Robbie grouses as he gestures for his little brother to make room on the coffee table for dinner. 

“Well, yeah. But the difference is that I’ve never messed up on one of my siblings’ heads. Have you ever heard of anything so monstrous? I mean, I love and hate my siblings as much as anyone else, but _dang_ , I’ve never heard of this before…” 

Gabe giggles as he pushes his homework away and places the coasters. Robbie goes back to the kitchen to get the beverages-Hawaiian Punch for Gabe, and cherry Coke for him. 

“Well you know what? First time for everything.” 

“Hey, Jay! This is really, really great ‘cause you’re calling around dinner time!” Gabe claps his hands happily. “So it’s like you’re eating dinner with us! But, like…over the phone! Yeah!” 

“Aww, you know, that’s cool kid! What’re you guys eating? I can smell that over the phone.” 

Robbie stares dryly at the phone, a chicken wing halfway to his mouth. “…How you gonna smell food over the _phone_? Don’t implant impossible physics into my brother’s head, Jason. Not tonight.” 

Jason’s eye roll can certainly be heard over the phone. “Because I know you cook really, really good, genius. It’s one of the only things you do right. Ain’t that right, Gabe?” 

Robbie’s little brother, traitor that he is, nods as he takes a sip of his Hawaiian Punch. “Uh huh! He doesn’t make the chicken go bald!” 

Robbie chokes on his bite of chicken while Jason guffaws, his laughter crackling over the phone. 

“What? What, it’s true…” Gabe pretends to look innocently confused. 

“Make…the…freaking chicken go…go _bald_!” Jason wheezes. 

Robbie wipes his hands on a napkin and reaches over to lightly ruffle his brother’s hair. “Yeah, Jay, it’s chicken wings and French fries tonight. How about you?” 

“Oh, that sounds real good. It’s a nice, loaded hamburger and some broccoli for me tonight. Think I…added too much ketchup though.” 

Gabe stares at the phone, a French fry halfway to his mouth. “…Jay. You can _never_ add too much ketchup. Please don’t speak like that.” 

“Exactly. I mean, even if you dump the whole ketchup bottle on a single fry, there’s never too much of it”, Robbie agrees. 

“Well, if that’s the case…” The next thing the Reyes brothers hear is some squirting over the phone. “More ketchup it is, then.” 

Gabe pipes up, “See? That’s the spirit! Ketchup everywhere!” 

“So what’s new on your side of the world, since you left, Jay?” 

“Well, B got me an invitation to go to Xin Ning’s makeup event for transgender people. And I just went earlier today and I can’t wait to show you guys all the new tricks I learned when I come over again. Found a whole new way to rock that green eye shadow, I’ll say that much.”

Gabe’s eyes go round. He _loves_ when Jason and he play with makeup. When Jay visited last time, Gabe ended up sporting monster winged eyeliner with the brightest magenta eyeshadow along with light, dark pink blush that brought out the natural, healthy rosiness of his skin. And Jay popped out those bright emerald green eyes and dark outer space hair of his with a combination blend of brown and black eyeshadow and eyeliner. Gabe sported ruby red lipstick and Jay sported soft pink lipstick. 

The only complaint Robbie had was that they didn’t hook him up with some of that makeup too. So Gabe, squealing and primping in front of the mirror, picked out the colors and Jason drew expertly on Robbie’s face. And so Robbie came out with azure eyeshadow, heavy gold eyeliner, and the same dark pink blush as Gabe and azure lipstick. 

Robbie and Jason saved that day’s fun (and many others like it) forever on their phones. 

Gabe exclaims, “Jay, you gotta show me! You gotta show me how you do it! ‘Cause I’ve been practicing, but it’s…still kinda hard.” At this confession, the younger Reyes deflates and his face goes from excited to sheepish. 

Robbie reaches over and gently ruffles his brother’s hair. “Hey, now. I’m sure it’s not like that, bro. I’ve seen you with makeup when you really get into it and you do really great. It’s not about how some random guide says it’s supposed to look, just that when you look in the mirror, _you_ like how you do it. That’s always what matters, no matter what you do, bro.” 

“Exactly”, Jay agrees, “And, heck, you’re gonna teach _me_ a little something most likely. You probably figured out a new trick, too. Always different ways to do things-no wrong way, you hear us?”

“Mmhmm. That’s right.” Robbie nods. 

Gabe slowly cheers right back up. “Well…alright. But I guess that means I gotta write stuff down so I remember to share it with you!” 

“See? There you go!” 

It’s nearly half an hour later when Robbie says, “Well, I think it’s time for this little Reyes to go to brush his teeth and go to sleep, yeah?” 

Gabe damn near overloads Robbie’s heart with adorability as he blinks slowly and yawns. “Uh huh…‘M sleepy.” 

As Robbie gathers their empty plates and cups to put into the sink, Jason responds, “Yeah, it’s been late over here, too. I got grocery shopping to do myself, anyway. Gabe, you sleep tight, okay? I’ll see you guys soon. I love you two.” 

“Love you too, Jay! Nighty night!” Gabe sleepily makes his way to the bathroom, yawning all the way. 

Ah. “Grocery shopping”. Robbie knows that’s Jason’s code for his insomnia hitting him hard and he wants to see if Robbie will stay up later to talk. Robbie confirms the code. “Make sure you don’t forget to pick up your milk.” 

“Naw, I won’t. I even wrote milk down this time, too.” 

“Good, babe. Good. Well, lemme go take this shower, get some homework done, and I’ll text you later to see if you remembered your milk.” 

“Sounds like a plan.” 

Robbie smiles.

-

Cassandra pops her sour apple bubblegum as she enters her father’s office at Wayne Enterprises. 

The whole building is mostly still and quiet, which makes sense, as it’s nearing 10 o’clock at night. B’s secretary was already gone by the time Cass entered the foyer, and so she used her personal key. She could hear her dad down the hall, still in a meeting with his board. She didn’t need to read anyone’s signing or body language to know that her father is irritated. 

The board members have “sincere proposals” to shift funding away from a new project line of battered and abused women’s shelters and to, instead, give that funding to a smirking politician for once.

It’s been several times at dinner that Cass has heard her poor dad grumbling and sneering over his plate about it. She got him to laugh and smooth her hair back from her face when she suggested bringing brass knuckles the next time his board brought it up. 

Cass isn’t too sure she was joking. But, still, anything to make a stressed-out B smile and laugh is good enough. 

Her father’s office is empty and the lights are dimmed when she enters it. She turns the lights fully on and heads straight for his desk. She spits her gum into the trash can beside it and opens up the lower left drawer. 

A whole bag of M&Ms, two liters of Fanta orange soda in a cooler, a bag of Doritos, a bag of Snickers, and a whole jar of jelly beans. 

Mmm. Yet another one of her personal stashes, safely locked away in her dad’s office. Only Steph knows about her stash here. 

Cass kicks her Converse sneakers off, settles down in her dad’s huge, black swivel chair and begins working on her third dinner. In-between bites of M&Ms and gulps of soda, she watches and likes other Vines on B’s computer. She spins in the chair every now and then, amused as she watches people dance to old 80s hits and make hilarious faces as they try new cheeses for the first time.

She hears Bruce before he opens the door. She sees that his three-piece, Armani dark business suit has nary a rumple or wrinkle. His black, salt-and-peppering-at-the-temples hair is slicked back with only a few stray strands escaping to drape across his forehead. To anyone else he looks like a regal, put-together ruler over Gotham. But Cass knows the truth.

He’s exhausted. 

Cass’ acute eyes take in just the slightest hint of dragging in his feet. His shoulders can’t decide if they want to sag with tiredness or tense with irritation. The shadows beneath his eyes are darker, heavier than usual. She watches his torso expand and contract in the slower, deeper cadence that means he’s more than ready to climb into the car, go home and sleep until Alfred drags him, whining and kicking, out of bed.

And he’s biting his thumb. 

_Oh…who or what is he thinking about really hard?_ She wonders. 

He smiles at her as he heads for the black swivel chair in front of his desk. “Hello there, Cassie. I thought I smelled a sugar rush several doors down. Must not be you.”

Cass beams right back at him and pushes the entire jar of jelly beans toward him. “Third dinner! Let’s share!” 

Instead of immediately taking the jar, Bruce leans back in the chair and just _stares_ at it. Voice dryly amused, he guesses, “Did all of this come out of my desk?” He’s not even surprised at the ‘third dinner’ part. 

“Yep!” Another handful of M&Ms are tossed into Cass’ smiling mouth. 

“Does anyone else know of this particular stash besides you and me?” 

“Just Steph.” 

“Oh? Not even Tim?” 

“Ehh…hot water.” 

Bruce nods decisively. Cassandra is notorious for breaking into Tim’s apartments, trashing the place even more than it already is (Bruce can count on one hand the number of times he’s actually seen the floor) and using all of his hot water for her baths. She’s usually long gone by the time Tim comes home, expecting a nice, hot shower, and all he gets are icicles raining down on his skin. And Bruce’s third boy is capable of being just as much, if not more so, a human unit disposal as his daughter. So it makes sense that Cass keeps as much of her hidden stashes of junk food secret from Tim as possible. Hot water revenge plus just as big an appetite combine to make this kind of secret keeping a necessity. 

Well, it wouldn’t be the only secret being kept in this family. 

With a small smile, Bruce leans forward to accept the jar and pops two green jellybeans into his mouth. “I may as well.” 

Cassandra beams again and puts the bag of Doritos between them. She slides the other liter of Fanta orange soda to his side of the desk. “Exactly.” 

They smile at each other, and then eat in silence for a while. Cass can see that the thoughts are still mulling around in B’s head. From the slight twist of his mouth, even he doesn’t quite know what particular issue is bothering him the most, how to go about them, or how (if at all) he’s going to openly articulate them. 

Most likely, knowing her dad, he won’t. 

So Cass will just wait until that mouth stops twisting and that thumb stops being bitten. 

It’s a little more than ten minutes later when Cass can make her move. She cocks her head to the side and smiles gently at her father. “You’re thinking.” 

Bruce nods, swallowing a bright red jelly bean. “I am. But it’s simply the common work problems. I think tomorrow will be a good day to inform my board of-”

“No, not that. Something…else.” 

There’s a heavy, heavy pause. A stillness in the otherwise comfortable office air. Bruce is studiously not making eye contact with Cass just as much as she’s pointedly studying his face. But B is not trying to avoid her and/or the subject. From the gentle crinkling of his forehead, he’s struggling with one of the things that Bruce Wayne struggles with the most. 

Words. 

It’s another little while when he finally finds the right ones. He speaks slowly. “You know…your brother, Jay. He’s…he’s been…happier lately. Just a little happier.”

Cass has noticed it, too. When her brother comes to visit or she him, she’s seen the subtle, but powerful signs. “He…checks his…phone. A lot. And…smiles. Just…a bit.”

This is true. Bruce’s second son and Cass' older brother _has_ been chipper lately. It started out, about a year ago, so, so faintly. Just a slight springer step in the early morning here, an extra ruffling of Tim’s head there. Hell, even a tiny, but heartfelt smile towards Dick once or twice. 

And now the signs have grown more and more until they can’t be ignored or chalked up to nothing but random shows of contentment. Now Jason either checks his phone more or doesn’t check his phone at all, but keeps it in his pocket just about all the time. When he does smile-which is much, much more often-it’s a full, damn-near face split all the way across his cheeks. His emerald eyes are bright and sparkling, almost never shuttered. And his eyes are certainly never distant in a way that tells whoever is beside him that he’s going back to a very, very dark place from earlier in his life. No, those eyes are distant and…loving someone. They’re loving someone. Maybe more than one. 

Bruce and Cassandra are not the only ones close by to notice. Damian, Tim, Babs, Steph and Alfred have all noticed, but none, as far as Bruce knows, have deemed it appropriate to bring it up with Jason. It’s even possible that they haven’t talked much about it amongst themselves. Anything that makes Jay truly, healthily happy is left well enough alone in the family. But everyone’s noticed. 

In Jason’s new happiness, Jason’s been careless. And Bruce wants to find the person that has made his son’s heart and soul go so warm with peace that he’s become careless about what his actions look like.

“Yes. I have a feeling that it’s a _person_ or two that’s making him happy. If not that, then it may be a new, rewarding avenue of work that he’s found.” 

“Ohh…so problem? What…is it?” 

Bruce bites his thumb again. “I want…if it’s actually a person, then I’d very much like to meet them.” 

This, too, is true. So, so very true. Whereas the rest of the family is content to let Jason’s cross-country life alone, Bruce is not. Bruce never really has been able to hold himself back from trying to get involved in anything that gives his children joy. 

And Jason is a child that has had very, very little joy in his life. A great deal of that lack of joy can be attributed to Bruce himself and he’s certain he’ll spend the rest of his life trying to make that up to Jason. He has a great many things to make up to a great many parts of his family, including the daughter sitting in front of him right now. 

Part of that make up is, to Bruce’s mind, to figure out what’s been making him so, so happy. 

Cass smiles softly and pops a Dorito in her mouth. “So ask. To meet. Why so…scared?”

Bruce heaves a deep, heavy sigh. “I want to ask. Truly, I do. But at the same time, I worry of…my welcome. I like where your brother and I are at right now. It’s not exactly where we want it to be, but we’d both take this over where we used to be without question. And I worry that I could…destroy that if I…push too hard.” 

“Asking…not pushing. Don’t… _demand_. And be nice.” Cass raises her eyes up to the ceiling, thinking for a moment. “Let him know…that…you want…a part, not…whole. Show…interest, not…concern. Get it?” 

“Yes, I understand you. But you know that there are times when Jason and I are communicating and one of us means one thing, but the other hears something completely different. As a result, a fight ensues and…I don’t want to fight.” Bruce shifts uncomfortably in his chair. “I’m not sure how to…articulate that all I want is to meet that person and…thank them for making him smile.” 

“So…be careful. Be clear.” She cocks her head to the side again. “Sounds like…you…don’t want to…try. At all.” 

Bruce barks out a laugh, sounding somewhat desperate. “You’re right about that. I do _not_ want to try at all. I’d rather simply let it be.” 

“Not good. How will…you know…unless you…try? Maybe…Jay…is waiting…for you.” 

At that, Bruce blinks several times and sits up straighter in his chair. “Waiting for me…” His fingers grip a few of the jelly beans within the jar, then lets them go. His tired blue eyes that look to Cass’ brown ones are worried. “That must mean I’ve been missing signals? That he wants me to ask? Or to know?” 

Cass shakes her head. “No, maybe not. At least…not that he…openly knows…himself. But. Still ask…because…never know…unless you…try.” She smirks at him. “So try.” 

Bruce nods slowly, a small smile forming to his face. “So just…ask and try.” 

Cass bounces in her seat and gives a little clap. Her smile lights up the whole of the building. “Yep! You…got it!” 

“Thank you, Cassie.” Bruce’s brow crinkles. “Now, I assume that you didn’t just come in here to give me advice about your brother and get into your stash?” 

“Oh! You’re right!” Without further ado, Cass reaches into her bag and pulls out a variety pack of bubblicious gum and her smartphone. She pushes the variety pack towards her father and readies her camera to record video. Her smile still lighting up the building, she says, “Do it…for…the Vine!” 

Bruce chuckles lightly as he picks out the strawberry gum. He pops it in his mouth and begins chewing, a smile on his face. 

Perhaps tonight is not such a bad night after all. 

Just ask and try.


	3. Trysts of Movie Nights

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMFG, how long has it been, friends?! How long?! So sorry for taking so long to update! Got writers block, then had to work on my SamSteve Gift, "Harlem Lights" (if you like sad, sappy ass Soulmate stories and SamSteve from the MCU, pop on over there and check it out!), and then I had to take a break before I could continue with this story. 
> 
> But! Onwards with the shenanigans here! Missed you all! :D

It’s rare, rare times like these that Robbie feels it. 

It’s when he finishes cleaning up the kitchen, takes a shower and brushes his teeth, then goes in to check on his younger brother. Gabe is usually already sound asleep, snuggled up deep into his pillows and Robbie gently pulls the covers even higher on his shoulders. He turns on the air conditioning to go through the night because like hell Gabe is going to get too hot and sweat in his sleep. 

For once, there are no “fireworks” going off outside. No, just the gentle _hurghhh_ of the air conditioner. The kitchen sink faucet _drip, drip, dripping_ forever. The _cr-cr-creak_ of the floorboards. 

And Robbie climbs into his bed. His blankets are newly washed from two days ago. His skin is clean, the pores open from the hot shower and, thus, blissfully sensitive against his covers. Thick and damp, his hair makes a light rustling against his pillow. He’s quietly giddy, heart fluttering in his chest. He rolls over and gets his phone off his nightstand and dials his boyfriend’s number. It’s just a little after ten o’clock. 

The dial tone starts and _this_ is when Robbie feels it. 

Feels like his actual age. 

Feels like a real teenager.

A teenager snuggling down in bed to talk to his boyfriend late, late into the night. 

Like teenagers are supposed to do. 

After two rings, the dial tone ends and Jason’s low, husky voice goes into his ear, “Hey.” 

“Hey you. What’s going on?” Robbie shifts to lie on his back. 

There’s a pause. “You’re lying in bed, aren’t you?” 

“Yeah, but you know the drill: we talk until one of us falls asleep. And then when we wake up, our phones are on their last battery. No biggie, nothing bad.” 

Jason snickers. “Alright, I guess so. Gabe okay?” 

“Sleeping like the prince he is. How did the dad-date go?” 

“Great, as usual.” 

“Is that…is that the sound of a rocker? Are you rocking a baby to sleep again?” 

“Uh huh. Anika had a little tummy ache earlier and it was hard for her to go to sleep. So after I got done helping with diapers and baths, I just rocked her to sleep a little. No worries.” 

Jason is in one of the many shelters he’s set up under his Red Hood network around Gotham. He sits in one of the many nurseries’ rocking chairs, slowly rocking fourteen-month-old Anika as she sleeps. Her mother, Gail, exhausted from fighting another bout of pneumonia, sleeps peacefully in another set of rooms not far from the nursery. He uses just one leg to make them go back and forth slowly and quietly. He’s surrounded by the scents of baby powder and baby oil and baby wipes and cocoa butter. Though he’s not going to sleep any time soon tonight, calm and contentment permeate his being. He holds his phone to his ear with one hand, and warmly rubs Anika’s back with the other. If the drool accumulating on his neck and the tiny, adorably chubby fingers unconsciously grasping at his shirt are any indication, Anika is fast, fast asleep, absorbing his calm and contentment. 

And with his boyfriend right there on his phone, Jason almost feels like he, too, could go to sleep. 

Robbie snickers into the mouthpiece. “You’re the biggest sucker for kids I’ve ever met, you know that? Like, you should just go ahead and have eight or ten kids of your own. Start now, so you can have them by the time you’re thirty-six.” 

Jason rolls his eyes. “Sure. Yeah, why not. You gonna birth ‘em for me? You might even get lucky and just keep birthing them as twins and triplets. Save you a heck of a lot of time.” 

“Nope. And to answer your next question, I ain’t helping you take care of them, either. I’m just gonna be the one to watch and document everything.” 

“You are something that I cannot call you while I’m sitting in this nursery with this baby in my hands. You are a very, very lucky man tonight, Robbie Reyes. Very lucky.” 

“Ehh…uh huh. Sure I am.” Robbie yawns. “So…what’s s’matter? Talk to me.” 

“It’s…it’s just the usual. Not too bad.” 

“Is it the reason you can’t sleep? Did something go wrong during the dad-date?” Robbie rolls over to lie on his side and yawns again. 

“No, like I said, it was great. We talked and ate and had fun. Oh, and the old man ordered a _plain_ BLT. That was the only thing that went wrong. Can you believe it?” By the increased drool on Jason’s chest, Jason concludes that Anika can’t believe it either. 

Robbie’s forehead wrinkles and his eyes round. “…A plain BLT? Goddamn, who hurt him so bad?” 

“I know, right? It was one of the most messed up things I’d ever seen in my whole life.” 

“But…that’s not what’s bothering you”, Robbie deduces. 

The sound of Jason’s sigh crackles into the other man’s ear. There are some times when Jason loves being in a relationship with someone that knows him so well, and he them. You know, less awkward misunderstandings, cute, funny inside-jokes shared just between them and shit like that. Plus, there are times when they both can’t be bothered to explicitly talk about their worries and head fucks and that’s when their non-verbal communication really, really helps. But it’s other times like these, when Robbie just won’t forget and drop, and move on from whatever Jason mentioned is upsetting him at the time. 

No, Robbie Reyes don’t forget shit. 

But then again, it was Jason that said he needed to remember to pick up his milk in the first place. Jason’s the one that initiated this. 

Taking the deepest breath he can without dislodging and/or disturbing Anika, Jason replies, “It’s just…that feeling. You know, the one where everything’s kinda going so, so well that you…worry it’s not gonna be that way soon anymore.” 

“Or you’re worried that you forgot about something. Or that something really _is_ wrong, but you’re not remembering what it is. And when you finally do remember, it’s gonna sneak up on you and be worse than ever because you were too busy being happy for a spell”, Robbie supplies. 

“Took it right from my mouth, yet again”, Jason says. 

Robbie shifts again in his bed and lets a small, sad smile grace his face. He’s always known that his boyfriend suffers terribly with low self-esteem, among other issues (like the insomnia that’s keeping him up right now). Though Robbie understands it’s gotten slightly better for Jay as the years have passed, it’s still something that the other man struggles terribly, but mostly-silently with. Robbie doesn’t know all the details about what created Jason’s low self-esteem and he’s long-ago accepted that there’s a great chance he never will. But there’s not a day that doesn’t go by where Robbie wishes he could just reach inside Jason and make Jason see all that he really is. 

All that Robbie sees in the other man. 

Because it’s the really, really good shit that should make someone with proper self-perception actually like their own ass. And like their own ass enough that they have a healthy amount of fucking self-esteem.  
Robbie wishes he could do that for Jason. If he could give Jason one gift out of all the impossible gifts in the world, it would be that. 

But having this conversation over and over with Jason is all that he can give. And since it’s all that he can give, then, god-fucking-dammit, he’s going to give it. His voice goes soft and tender from compassion rather than just drowsiness. “I know you feel that way, but it’s not true. You deserve to be happy. You deserve to have good times. And you deserve to have a good relationship with your ‘boss man’, as you call him. You deserve that shit just as much as anyone else does.” 

It’s a long, long time before Jason can answer. He hugs Anika just a little closer to his chest. He looks out the pink-curtained window to the quiet night beyond with eyes that struggle not to blink too much, lest stupid ass tears fall. Robbie’s always been so…so ridiculously patient with him when he gets like this. Fuck it, _more_ than ridiculously patient with him. Downright sympathetic and loving to the very end. And Robbie is like this even when he’s had much, much more on his plate for much, much longer than anyone his age should’ve ever had to begin with. 

“I know. I…I know. I’m…I’m telling myself that as much as I can. It’s…I know.” 

“Yeah, you’re telling yourself, but…” Robbie trails off to give two big, jaw-popping yawns, “…It’s still a work in progress to actually believe it. I know-I work through shit like that too. A lot of people do, Jay, believe me.” 

“Yeah, a ‘work in progress’. I seem to be taking a lot longer than I probably should be, though”, Jason says as he ducks his head down to bury his nose in Anika’s fresh, clean hair. 

“No, you’re just takin’ as…” Robbie trails off again for another yawn, “…long as you’re supposed to for yourself. Your pace is your pace.” 

“One day I’m gonna figure out what I did to deserve a boyfriend like you.” 

“Keep making me loaded chili dogs right off the grill, and you’ll find out.” 

Jason snickers. “Uh huh. I _knew_ that’s the only reason you like me around.” 

“Hey, it’s not my fault. Nobody told you to be such a good cook. You don’t wanna be used like that, then start burning down kitchens.” 

“I’ll keep it in mind, you selfish person.” 

“…You wanted to replace ‘person’ with something like ‘bastard’ or ‘fucker’, right?” Robbie guesses. 

“Yeah, so just pretend that’s what I actually said. I’m still holding a baby in a nursery.” 

Robbie gives another huge yawn. “O-okay. I’ll do that.” 

“Hey, Rob?” 

“Yeah?” 

“Thanks.” 

“It’s…” Robbie yawns, “…in my job description as ‘boyfriend’. No thanks required.” 

“Aww, but surely that job is tax deductible, right? I mean, it’s not fair if you don’t get a return check every now an’ then.” 

For a long, long time, there’s no response. Jason asks softly. “…Robbie?” 

The only sound that comes to Jason’s ear is a low, rumbling snore. Jason smiles and whispers, “G’night, baby. Love you too.” 

\- 

It’s next Wednesday when Jason and Bruce meet again. This time, it’s for movie night at Jason’s apartment. Neither one of them are much in the way of movie watching, Bruce even less than Jason. Jason personally blames it on Dickie Bird, since he’s the one that sat their dad in a chair to watch cheesy Christmas movie after cheesy Christmas movie after cheesy Christmas move for years on end before the rest of them came along. Dickie Bird was the one to ruin B for them all and it’s not fair. 

But for Jason and Bruce, when they’re able to have movie nights, it’s never really been about the movie itself anyway. It’s their shared, comfortable silence. It’s the delicious taste of the butter-flavored popcorn that they pass between them, the popcorn that Jason eats more of, thus leaving his father with only a few morsels of the tasty junk food. It’s the gradual progression of the movie becoming background noise as most times they end up talking softly about this and that. It’s the continuation of transforming and strengthening their bond. 

Movie nights are special nights. 

This time, though, something’s different. Something’s wrong. 

The Boss man is just a _tad bit_ fidgety. When Jason answers the door, B’s smile is just a little too tight and he briefly fingers the collar of his button-down. As they embrace each other, he adds a brief, but warm back rubbing…and Bruce is not usually a man that rubs your back during hugs. Back rubbing only comes when you’ve been sick, miserable and sleeping in his bed for days on end with your sick ass. And when they sit down on the couch to watch _Hairspray_ , Bruce takes two tries to get comfortable. 

And Jason can sense just what exactly is wrong with his father. He can sense just what’s making a man that doesn’t usually fidget…fidget. 

Bruce wants something and it’s something that he’s sure Jason isn’t inclined to give without a fight. 

For now, though, Jason will just wait until Bruce brings it up. There’s popcorn to hog in the meantime anyway. 

It’s when they’re halfway through the movie that Bruce starts. “I...am glad you’re happier as of late, Jason. I’m very, very glad about that.” 

“Mm-hmm”, Jason replies as he stuffs more popcorn in his mouth and keeps his eyes on the TV. 

“Is it…a person that’s…made you so happy?” 

_Goddammit._

“Might be…might just be.” 

“Well, if it _is_ a person, then I’d very much like to meet them.” 

Welp. There it is. 

“No.” 

Out of the corner of his eye, Jason sees Bruce blink. “…‘No’?” 

“Yeah-‘no’.” 

“I’m sorry, are they sick?” 

“No.”

“Has a tragedy recently occurred in their life?” 

“No.” 

“Is it a question of time and money to be able to meet them? Because I concede all of that to them and you. It can be anytime and anywhere that’s good for both of you.” 

“No.” 

“Are you two…no longer together or estranged at the moment?” 

“Maybe.” 

“…I’ll take that as yet another ‘no’, then.” 

“Take it however you want. Nobody’s stopping you.” 

“Jason.” 

“What.” 

“I think this requires a full conversation between us. A full, _participating_ conversation between us”, Bruce says, scrutinizing the way Jason’s eyes stayed glued to the TV the whole time, while his hand mechanically stuffed popcorn in his mouth. 

The other man finally turns deeply irritated, sharp green eyes on him. “We just did have a full, _participating_ conversation about this, B.” 

“No, we didn’t. One of us attempted to have such a conversation and the other only answered with short monosyllables that have raised more questions than answers.”

“Oh yeah? Well the answer is still ‘no’. It was ‘no’ before this conversation even started.” 

Bruce falls back against the couch with a low sigh filled with consternation. “I don’t understand your concerns, Jason. The only thing I’m asking for is…a handshake. A ‘Hi, hello, it’s nice to put a face and a name to you’. That’s-”

Jason suddenly turns his body and fully faces his dad on the couch. His eyes have gone from irritated to bordering on outraged. “You don’t understand my concerns and then in the next breath you’re perfectly fine talking about what _you_ want.” 

Bruce’s face pained as he, too, turns on the couch to face the other man. “Jason-”

“Do you think about what I want? Why my answer is ‘no’? Maybe, just _maybe_ it’s because I want something that’s just to myself? Just for me?” Jason throws his hands up, then lets them loudly fall back to his thighs with a resounding _clap_. 

“And I understand that-I am not trying to take _anything_ from you, Jason. I just want to…get involved. Just…know. Just know a little…something about your life”, Bruce explains in what he hopes is a placating and patient tone. 

“You don’t have to ‘try’ to take anything from me, Bruce”, Jason grouses, “You and I both know what you getting ‘involved’ means with shit like this. We know that perfectly fucking well.” 

“I am aware that I have…a few control issues. I know that and I have no intentions of messing anything up or destroying anything. That’s why, at the start of this conversation, I already gave the full concession to follow their and your leads on this.” 

“Yeah, that concession has a warranty of about”, Jason looks up to the ceiling, pretending to calculate, “…eh, on your _best_ day, somewhere around thirty days. Minimum. After that, you start elbowing and pushing your way through to the front because you just can’t help yourself. I mean…fucking seriously. You’re over forty-years-old and you think your need for control and centering is gonna change any time soon?”

Bruce is already shaking his head before Jason is done talking. 

“No, I do not think that. I know that’s not going to change. That is exactly why I gave you that concession, why I…try to surround myself with people that will keep me in check. I am telling you that I if I am overstepping my bounds, then I want-I _need_ -you to tell me to stop.” Bruce bores his eyes into his son’s. “And when you tell me to stop, _I will stop_.” 

“You know what B, I don’t want to keep you in check. And you’re already overstepping your bounds by not hearing the ‘no’ cloud that’s been hovering all over this conversation.” 

“Yes, and you keep telling me ‘no’ without having consulted the other person at all, I’m assuming.” 

There’s a long, deeply uncomfortable silence at Bruce’s words. Hell, even the sounds of _Hairspray_ in the background don’t help the silence. Jason can’t really believe that Bruce went there, that Bruce is using just about everything in his arsenal to win this particular battle. They haven’t truly fought in _years_ and both men couldn’t be more grateful that this is so. And this, right now, isn’t really a fight-especially in comparison to how their past fights were capable of ending in broken plates and storming off. No, thankfully this isn’t really a fight. 

But Jason swears that if his dad doesn’t back off yesterday, it’s going to turn into one. And an ugly one at that real quick. 

He is not bringing his beloved Gabe and Robbie around the bullshit that can manifest itself as Bruce Wayne. 

In the back of his mind, Jason feels a slight twinge of sadness. He doesn’t _want_ to have a fight with B. It’s not that he thinks this one potential-altercation between them will severely set back all the progress they’ve made. No, it’s not that. But…it’s nice to not fight with your dad, to have a good, warm relationship with him. And somehow, it feels even nicer after years and years of having the complete opposite. He can, however, afford to trade one would’ve-been-pleasant movie night to continue protecting the Reyes from his fucked up side of the family.

Both men stare each other down, neither one willing to back off their stances. 

Bruce is the first to look away, his expression newly-pained. “Ahh…I see now. I apologize that it took me so long to figure it out.” 

Jason blinks, confused. “…Figure out what?” 

Bruce still doesn’t meet his son’s eyes and that’s how Jason _knows_ he really struck a nerve. “You didn’t tell him about us. About your family. About me.” 

Jason’s left eye twitches. He swears that this man is, forever godforsaken stroke of luck his father and the absolute _king_ of fucking epic guilt trips. And he doesn’t even have to try, much less notice that he’s guilt tripping like an ol’ pro. “No, B. That’s not it. They…know about my life here, in Gotham. They know about you and everyone else.” 

“Then what is it?” Bruce finally makes eye contact again. 

Jason heaves a huge, huge sigh and shifts uncomfortably in his seat. He can’t believe he has to say this shit out loud. “B. They’re just not…used to people…like you. Okay? People like you are…just not normal to them. That’s it. End of story.” 

Bruce stiffens with a look of genuine hurt and indignation. “‘People like me’?”

“Yes, people like you.” 

“What does that mean, ‘people like me’?” Bruce demands. 

Jason rubs his forehead tiredly, feeling a migraine start to form. “Look, you damn well _know_ what and who you are. They just wouldn’t be that comfortable around you. I know that because I know them. I know that you just want to meet them, I know that, despite your miles-long list of character flaws, you have no ill intent towards them. I get that. I do.” 

“But what you want just isn’t more important than their need for comfort. I’m not going to put them through that. That’s all there is.” 

Another long, uncomfortable silence. 

Bruce lifts his chin, his expression becoming stalwart as he looks straight at Jason. “…And you? You’re not like…‘people like me’?”

Jason works his jaw, trying to find another way out of this conversation. “B-”

That chin of Bruce’s is still lifted. “You’re like me too. You come from me, you know. No matter what our trysts, no matter how much and how many times I’ve failed you, you do come from me.” 

“No I don’t”, Jason responds, eyes taking on a cold steel. 

“Yes you do.” 

“No I don’t.” 

“And what makes you say that?” 

Jason’s eyes go wide with a fake smile. He really can’t believe the other man’s audacious tenacity sometimes. “You don’t see where we are right now? Goddamn, you really don’t see your own surroundings any more than you see your own skin.” His apartment is nice enough, but it’s on the other side of town-tucked right up against Crime Alley, where he does most, if not all of, his work. Hell, it took Bruce nearly forty-five minutes to get here from Wayne Manor. 

Bruce bristles. “That’s not what I meant, Jay.” 

“It’s not about what you did or didn’t mean. It’s just what it _is_. And that’s not going to change no matter how many rolls of hundred dollar bills you stash around my place.” 

“The only thing that _is_ is that you are my son. I have five children, not four. Hundred dollar bills have nothing to do with that. Never have, never will. So like it or not, part of your home is with me. And, really, my perfect world would entail having your entire home be with me, but I understand that that’s not a battle I can afford to wage at this time, nor do I care to.”

Jason gives a dry, humorless smile. “Oh, it’s not?” 

“No it is not.” 

Another silence, this time with another staring stand-off. 

“Well, the answer is still ‘no’. So I don’t know what we’re still doing here.” His brow crinkles slightly in mock confusion. “You starting to like shooting the breeze now? Wasting your time now, huh?” 

Bruce stays brave by keeping direct, intense eye contact. His blue eyes are hard and intense with their sincerity. “Being with you and talking to you is not shooting the breeze. You are not a waste of time. My children are not wastes of time.” 

Jason squirms uncomfortably from the heartfelt declaration. Yeah, sure, they’ve gotten better at being completely honest with each other. It’s just…well, ‘honesty’ between them has never really constituted major truth bombs like these. Especially when it’s supposed to be a quiet movie night. 

Bruce heaves huge sigh, the truth bombs clearly having taken a lot out of him too. He leans back against the chair and runs a hand down his face. “Jason. Can’t you at least…just…just ask? Can you just _ask_ them? I’ve given you every single concession I can, every single condition, every single lead that I can think of. I don’t know what else to give to you. I don’t know what else to say.” 

Jason heaves a huge breath too. He feels just as drained from this conversation as Bruce does. “B…shit. Just about everything you touch, you destroy.” 

“I will not destroy this. I won’t because I won’t let you let me. I will not, Jason.” He suddenly becomes very interested in the coffee table. “I just…I just want to know about and be involved more in your life. I just want to shake hands with the people that make you smile. They make you smile. That’s…that’s important to me. I only ask to see them, to thank them in person.” 

This time, the long silence isn’t tense. It’s just full of exhaustion and resignation from both sides. 

Jason sighs quietly and looks up to ceiling, as though the answers to how in the hell things ever came to this started. “…If _they_ said ‘no’, would you accept that?”

“Yes, I would.” There’s nothing but in Bruce’s eyes but genuine sincerity and Wayne-determination.

Jason sighs again. He can’t believe this. No, he _really_ can’t fucking believe this. “Okay. Fine. I’ll ask them.” He stuffs popcorn in his mouth, chewing a little more harshly than is necessary. And now he’s got a full-blown migraine. 

Bruce smiles softly “Thank you.” 

“But if they say ‘no’, then they say no. And if they say ‘yes’, then…I’ll keep you posted from there. And I’ll secure an answer from you the next time I see them.” 

“That’s all I ask. Thank you, Jason.” 

“Yeah, well…they didn’t give an answer yet, so don’t thank me just yet.” 

Bruce just smiles.


	4. In Which the Reyes are Asked

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a son of a biscuit eater to write...

Just as Jason did not fool his father that painful movie night, so Jason did not fool his boyfriend and baby brother less than two weeks later. 

Even during the enthusiastic greetings-the hugs, kisses, squeals, and prolonged cuddles-Robbie and Gabe can tell that something is amiss. If Jason Todd is an open book to the world at large, then he is most certainly an open book with large, large print to his loved ones. He is one of the most open books in the world and he can’t hide it for anything. 

Robbie and Gabe see it in the tighter lines around Jason’s mouth as he smiles. Jason’s usually sparkling emerald eyes are halfway shuttered with worry and sheepishness. His broad shoulders are bunched tight, even when he carries Gabe around for a piggyback ride. And when he puts Gabe back down, he warmly embraces Gabe and doesn’t let go for a long, long time. When he unpacks his bags and sets his things in their usual places around the Reyes apartment, he’s extra particular and neat with it. Precisely folds up his boxers and panties beside Robbie’s boxers. Sets his toiletries close and off to the side in the bathroom. Stays outside to scuff his shoes of any dirt, and then sets them right inside the door and out of the way. Each night that he takes his binder off, he folds it up just as carefully as his underwear and he spends an extra ten minutes stretching and breathing. 

And Robbie can feel his boyfriend’s kisses being much, much softer and gentler than usual. When Gabe slips into the bathroom and they have just a moment to themselves that day, Jason’s lips are slow and leisurely on Robbie’s…like he’s asking Robbie to forgive him for something that Robbie doesn’t even know Jason’s done yet. In response, Robbie tries to assuage Jason’s guilt over…whatever he must’ve done (or hasn’t done) by gently stroking his hair as they kiss. 

But it doesn’t seem to do a damn thing to calm Jason down. Still, it’s worth a try. 

It’s on the third night that Robbie and Gabe finally crack from the tension. All three males sit on the couch in the midst of enjoying a _Steven Universe_ marathon and with a nearly-empty bowl of popcorn on the coffee table. Gabe sits in the middle of the two elder males, comfortably squished and cuddled between them as they watch his favorite-ever show. Robbie and Jason have their arms extended behind the boy between them and over the back of the couch. They interlink their fingers together, reveling in the warm, intimate contact and the sense of mutual protection and enclosure around Gabe. 

Not that their comfortable positions on the couch does anything to lessen the tension that’s been building up and up and _up_. 

Robbie is the first to break the loaded silence. “Jason. Babe. Will you _talk_ please? Just talk? We can’t stand much more of this.” 

“Yeah”, Gabe pipes up, a pout on his face. “Can’t you just tell us what’s going on? Are you…are you pregnant? Is that it? Are you and Robbie gonna have a baby?” Gabe’s pout becomes more pronounced at the idea.

At this question, both Robbie and Jason’s eyes pop wide open and they share a startled look. Jason slowly shakes his head and mouths ‘fuck no’ to Robbie over Gabe’s head. Robbie slowly raises both eyebrows and mouths ‘Are fucking you sure?’. He gets an affirmative in an even slower head nod and wider eyes from Jason. Robbie wears his rubbers religiously and Jason has a handy IUD safely guarding his cervix. 

They do _not_ need or want a baby. The only baby they’ve ever needed and wanted just set off what has to be the most awkward and uncomfortable silence between them since this night started. 

But Gabe isn’t done torturing them. He turns in his seat and presses his small hands experimentally to Jason’s perfectly flat stomach. At the touch, Jason looks over Gabe’s head and asks Robbie in a low, breathy voice, “…Is he trying to jinx us?” 

Robbie looks stonily down at his baby brother and says, “Get ‘im.” 

In the next second, Gabe finds himself the target of a major tickle attack from Robbie and Jason. “Acgghhhck!!! No!!! No, no! No!!!” He cries and giggles. 

“What’re you trying to do to us, huh? Huh, Gabe?!” Robbie demands as he moves his fingers into Gabe’s sensitive sides. 

“Stop trying to jinx us! We’ve done nothing wrong to you!” Jason adds, his fingers on Gabe’s belly. 

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” Gabe laughs. 

Robbie and Jason cease their tickle torture and help Gabe sit back up. The other two are a little breathless with laughter themselves, buoyed into vicarious amusement just from Gabe’s ringing laughter. 

“But no”, Jason reassures, “I’m not pregnant. Sorry Gabe, but you’re not gonna be an uncle for a long, long time, if even that.” 

“So…what _is_ the problem then? Because Gabe and I still don’t know”, Robbie persists. 

Jason looks back and forth between the Reyes brothers’ curious faces. Gabe’s face is pure inquisitiveness with a bit of leftover mirth, while Robbie’s has a tinge of worry to them. There’s really no more point in delaying it…

With a sigh, Jason holds his arms out to Gabe. When Gabe responds by holding his arms out too, Jason pulls him into his lap and cuddles him close against his torso. Robbie scoots over and Gabe presses even closer against Jason’s body and reaches out to hold one of Robbie’s hands. Robbie, in turn, scoots closer until he’s flush against Jason and Gabe and so all three males are cuddled closely in the middle of the couch and ready for whatever Jason has to say. 

Jason sighs again and looks at both of them. “Lemme…lemme think of how to introduce this, ‘kay? This is kinda…difficult.” 

The Reyes nod slowly as Jason struggles to get his scrambled thoughts together. Gabe decides to make himself more comfortable by resting his head against Jason’s unbound chest and lifting his free hand to play in Jason’s stubble. He loves the contrast of texture there; if he keeps his hand on Jason’s jaw and chin, then the stubble lightly scratches at his fingers and palm. If he moves his hand lower, to Jason’s neck, then the stubble ends and he’s met with a smooth and creamy texture. 

Jason relaxes at the familiarity of the gentle, experimental touch on his face and neck and he finds himself able to formulating the right way to start this conversation. He looks back down at Gabe and catches his smaller hand in his. “Hey, sweetheart? You know, uhh…you know the guy that gives you those _Grey Ghost_ comics?” 

Gabe’s eyes light up. “Uh huh!” 

Robbie goes completely still and he holds his brother’s hand tighter. “Jay…? What about that guy that gives Gabe the _Grey Ghost_ comics?” 

“Um, well…” Jason takes a deep breath, then blurts out, “H’wanmeechu.” 

Both Robbie and Gabe blink incomprehensibly at Jason. 

“Are you okay, Jay?” Gabe asks, nose scrunching in concern. 

Robbie adds, “Yeah, could you repeat that please?” 

“I said, uhhh…” Jason clears his throat and feels his face go hot. He tries again, “Umm…B? Bruce? The boss man? My dad? He…he wants to meet you two.” 

There’s a long, long moment of silence filled with ‘What the _fuck_ ’ and Jason unconsciously clings just a little harder to the boy in his lap. Robbie and Gabe just sit and stare. Jason can see complete shock on Gabe’s face and half-shock and half-apprehension on Robbie’s. 

Jason clears his throat and gets his phone out of his pocket and scrolls through to show the other two a picture. It’s one of Robbie and Gabe’s favorite pictures of Jason’s family, in fact; it’s a picture of Jason’s only and younger sister, Cassandra Cain-Wayne and their father, Bruce Wayne at Disneyland. Father and daughter are beaming at the camera as they pose in a tight, sideways hug. Bruce wears a regular hat that shades his eyes while Cassandra sports a Minnie Mouse ears hat with her nickname, “Cassie”, written in scrawling cursive. 

Jason lets Robbie take the phone out of his hand so he and Gabe can see and elaborates, “This guy.” 

Another long, long, _long_ silence as the other two just _stare_ at the picture. 

“This guy…wants to meet…us.” 

“Jay, why does he want to meet us? Does he want his comics back?” There’s a new hint of sadness to Gabe’s voice. 

“Oh, no, no, sunshine!” Jason gives Gabe a kiss atop his head. “He wants to meet you because, uhh…well, long story short, he noticed that I’m looking a little happier than usual. And I’m happier than usual because of you and Robbie. So it just, you know, spilled out and now he just wants to put a face to mysterious people that make his kid happy.” 

Robbie raises an eyebrow and, eyes still on the phone screen he asks, “And…when he said he wanted to meet us, what’d you say?” 

“I promised him that I would just ask and he promised that he would hear ‘no’ if you said no and ‘yes’ if you said ‘yes’.” Jason gives Gabe another squeeze. “The ball is completely in both of your courts and there’s _no_ pressure here. None whatsoever.” 

“What else does he know about us?” Robbie asks. 

“Nothing else. Honestly. I didn’t tell him your names, didn’t tell him where you live, where you’re from or anything. Like I said, he just wants to meet you, to put a face to you two. But, again, if you say ‘no’, then you say ‘no’. It’s all up to you and no one else.” 

It’s quiet again as Robbie keeps looking at the picture. “But…I…guess this is kind of a lot to take in. _That_ man wants to meet _us_ just because I’m one of his kid’s boyfriends. That’s a lot of stuff to process.” 

Jason squeezes his shoulder. “I know, baby. Believe me, I got you.” 

It really _is_ a lot of shit to process. No matter how much Robbie looks at the family picture, the man smiling back at him just…doesn’t feel any more real than he did when Jason first talked about him way back when they were in the beginnings of their relationship. Just like most of the rest of the world’s population, Robbie and Gabe first met Bruce Wayne through ubiquitous newspapers and tabloids and headlines and rumor mills. He’d always just been an uninteresting rich, white and affluent caricature of a human being to the Reyes. And thus, they paid about as much attention to Bruce Wayne as they did to specks of dust floating in the air. 

Then Jason stumbled into their lives and it was just their luck that Robbie’s new boyfriend’s father was the one and only Bruce Wayne. It was and still is surreal to suddenly have the reality of Bruce Wayne’s existence be so, so close. One moment, Robbie and Gabe only knew of the man from impersonal public mediums and now…now they can just scroll through Robbie’s boyfriend’s-one of the man’s _kids_ -to find deeply personal and private pictures of him. Hell, they could simply press a finger for instant access to the man’s personal phone number and email address. 

On top of that, Jason’s accounts of Bruce Wayne make the man all the more surreal in his new proximity to them. Before, they had a vague understanding that he adopted some children and had just one biological child. But even at that point, Robbie and Gabe just never thought of the man as a dad. Then Jason started talking and…the foremost image in their minds of Bruce Wayne is that of a dad. The only thing missing is the man owning an SUV with ice cream and cotton candy stains all over it. 

Jason senses their thoughts. He holds Gabe just a little tighter and cups Robbie’s jaw with his free hand. His voice is low and soothing as he reassures, “Hey, hey, hey. He’s just a gruff, grump-grump dad that walks around with half a stick up his butt. You sit and talk with him for five minutes and you’ll forget all about all that money and whiteness and sh-crap. And you won’t feel judged or endangered. I promise you.”

Robbie nods and gently takes Jason’s hand in his. He looks down at his little brother and asks, “…Gabe? What are you thinking right now? How are you feeling? And remember, you don’t have to say anything that’s outside of what you’re wanting and feeling, ‘kay?” 

“That’s right.” Jason nods in agreement. 

Gabe purses his lips and leans out of Jason’s lap to take the phone from Robbie’s hand. So this is the man that’s given him his beloved collection of _Grey Ghost_ comics. And every time Jay brought those comics over, the only repayment Gabe ever owed was just enjoying the comics and talking Jay’s ear off about them to the ends of earth and back. 

But now the man really knows about them and he wants to meet them. Plus, Jason has all those siblings and he even has a younger brother that’s ten-years-old, the same age as him and, well…Gabe has always wondered about meeting him, about meeting the boy named Damian Wayne. 

His voice is quiet when he responds, “We’ll…we’ll really get to meet your dad, Jay? And the rest of your family too?” 

“Uh huh. Now, it’s only Bruce that asked, but most likely you’ll get to meet the whole gang, sunshine. Yep.” 

Gabe purses his lips again and follows up with, “So…this means Robbie and I are gonna have to drive or fly all the way to New Jersey where your family lives?” He tilts his head. “‘Cause we’ve never been on a plane or even driven out of the state before…” 

Voice raised a few outraged octaves, Robbie demands, “Wait. Wait, wait, wait, _wait_. We need to back the f-heck up for a minute…” 

Jason and Gabe’s heads snap over to Robbie’s incredulous face. Gabe’s own face is still dreamy with thoughts of meeting Damian and Jason’s is tense with worry. 

Robbie runs a hand haphazardly through his hair. “Are we…are you talking about…Gabe and I going all the darn way over to visit your dad and the rest of your family?” He leans in closer to Jason with incredulous eyes and an eyebrow that’s rising up and up and up. “Like…actually go all the way from _here_ to _New freaking Jersey_? Jay, is that what’s on the table right now?”

Jason does quite a bit of opening and closing his mouth. He eventually closes his mouth for good and winces. For nothing else to do with his hands, he shifts Gabe to a more comfortable position in his lap. Dammit, he should’ve broken this cleaner, should’ve taken their very-real discomfort at this possibility into account. And now this is unraveling into something of a mess. But this is a mess he can clean up, no matter what his boyfriend’s decision. He leans forward as well and squeezes the other man’s hand. “Okay, wait. Wait. Let’s hit the pause button-”

“Oh, the freaking pause button is hit, alright. I can tell you it’s _hit_. Jay, what the heck did you do?” 

“I didn’t do anything! Just wait a minute, ‘kay?” 

“Okay…okay. Let’s just take a break real quick and breathe.” 

“Yeah, I agree. I think that’s a good idea. Let’s break and breathe, ‘kay, babe?”

“Breathing is good! Breathing is important!” Gabe pipes up. 

All three take several deep, deep breaths together. In for one, two, three…out for one, two, three…again…

They do this for just a few minutes, though it feels like hours. Robbie eventually leans all the way forward until their foreheads are touching. In response, Jason lets go of one of Robbie’s hands to cradle the back of his head, burying his fingers in the thick, dark mass. He idly rubs his fingernails along Robbie’s scalp. Robbie lets out a longer breath in a _woosh_ at the rhythmic, soothing motions in his hair. They both hold Gabe, who worries about a real argument breaking out, a little closer. 

It’s several minutes later when Robbie says, “Alright, I’m…breathed. Dang. Now explain this to us.” 

“You sure? Don’t need another minute?” 

“Yeah, I’m sure.” 

“Alright. Now. It’s _not_ that you _have_ to pack up Gabe and you and go all the darn way cross country. Like I said, the ball is completely in your court-you’re not doing sh-anything that you don’t want to do.” 

“All this is…is just that I know you don’t want Bruce in your house. Bruce knows that too. He knows that perfectly well. So I figured that, if we’re talking about, I guess…well, see it’s the summer and no one has school-”

Robbie breaks away from his boyfriend, expression becoming incredulous again. He finishes for Jason, voice grating and unamused. “So it was either he comes into my house or I come into his house. And we’re already talking about the latter option.” 

“Baby, I-”

“Except your dad doesn’t have a house-he has a _mansion_.” Robbie’s left eye twitches and he leans in even closer to his boyfriend. “Does he even know what a house is? What an apartment is?” 

“Yeah, and has he even been in an apartment or a house before?” Gabe wonders. 

Jason winces and rushes to reassure yet again, “You know, he actually does. He really does. And yeah, he _has_ been in a house and an apartment. He just…happens to live in a manor. But…I know. I know. I hear what you’re saying.” 

“And it still stands that the ball is in your court-you can say ‘no’ if you want. But I’m just letting you know that if you say ‘yes’ and you want to come over to that mansion? You will be _welcome_ there.” He emphasizes this with a tight, tight hand squeeze to Robbie and a tight torso squeeze to Gabe. “Totally and completely welcome, no holds barred period. And you two don’t have to be anything that you aren’t or put up with shi-anything that you don’t want to. I promise you guys.” 

Robbie still looks worried. He runs a hand through his hair several times, disheveling it almost to the point of where it looks like bedhead. “But…Jay. It’s…are we really talking about going cross country to stay a little at a mansion of all places? Are we really talking about that kind of…of vacation? And don’t even try to front and say some mess like we’ll split the costs. We both know that a crock of bul-crap, so let’s just have that on the table too.” 

“Okay, okay”, Jason concedes, “That’s on the table too. There. And to keep being honest? Bruce is probably not gonna let me pay for anything either. He’ll want to pay for it all. Cross country trip and everything.”

Robbie squints, suspicion creeping up to take over incredulity. “… _Why_ is he so interested in meeting us again? And actually face-to-face and not just a phone conversation?” 

“Uhh, well see the thing is…he already loves you guys.” Jason braces himself. 

At that admission, Gabe and Robbie just _stare_ at Jason for a long, long time. This time, the silence seems to fill up the entirety of the apartment until it’s damn near suffocating. Jason squirms under the scrutiny, but he waits for them to speak first. 

“Jay”, Gabe starts slowly, “I don’t think this is very normal. Or healthy.” 

Robbie’s voice goes flatter than it’s ever been since this conversation started. His eyes are laser beams glaring into Jason’s. “What.” 

“Alright.” Jason chews a little on his lip. “You remember when I told you two about the story when B and I first met? How I was taking the wheels off his Rolls Royce in Crime Alley?” 

“Uh huh.” 

“...Go on…” 

“He loved me as soon as I hit him with the tire iron and ran away.” 

Yet another long, long stretch of silence in which the Reyes brothers just stare at Jason. Robbie is the first to break the silence this time. 

“He doesn’t know us.” 

“He doesn’t have to.” 

“He doesn’t even know what we look like.” 

“He doesn’t have to.” 

“Jay.” 

“I know.” 

“You need to do something about your daddy.” 

“I know. I’ve been trying.” 

“No, I mean you need to do something about your daddy _now_ ”, Robbie insists. 

“Baby, look he’s just…Bruce is just a guy that has a really, really, really big as-ol' heart despite popular opinion. This is a man that has five kids and four of them are adopted.” 

“Oh, so now he wants seven kids? What, he has some kind of addiction to shiny brown children or some sh-crap?” 

Jason winces at how his side of the family may obviously look, even to one relatively in-the-know as Robbie and Gabe. He explains, “Aww…yeah, it kinda looks that way, doesn’t it? But honestly, he just got a huge heart with too much love to go around. Fu-heck, it’s more to go around than he’ll ever admit. He’s not some…white savior that collects kids just to look good at his charity balls every spring. Honest.” 

“But Jason…he _really_ doesn’t know us”, Gabe emphasizes. “How do you love someone you don’t even know and haven’t even met? I never really heard of that before.” 

Jason says, “Well yeah, sunshine, you got a point there. Yeah. It’s just, uhh…like I said, he just has a really big heart. Or at least, lemme put it this way: once he _does_ meet you, he’s gonna love the living crap out of both of you. How’s that?” 

Gabe blinks up at him. “Okay. I guess…that works. But we wouldn’t have even done anything by the time we met him, Jay. All we woulda done would be go all the way to his mansion and…vacation there. That’s it. Why would he love someone that’s just going to do that?” 

“Well, he…loves you just because you exist. Because, again, you two make me very, very happy. He loves me, and when you love someone their happiness is your happiness, right?” 

“Right.” 

“So he loves the source of that happiness and when he finally sees that it’s you and Robbie, so he’s going to love you two. Just as simple as that, sunshine.” He smooths Gabe’s hair back from his forehead. 

Jason looks from Robbie to Gabe. “I swear he’s not some kid-addict that just likes the way it looks at all his big, expensive fundraising events. He’s just a guy with too big a heart and over time, he got a lotta kids in his mansion.” 

“Alright, let’s say that’s true”, Robbie says, “We know about all your siblings and the other members of your family. You and Tim are the only white boys in that whole group. I’ve never asked this before, because it thought it’d be rude, but now? Just…tell me: why in all the heck does your dad have so many kids? He’s one man. He has five. _Five_ , Jason. And you’re telling me he wouldn’t mind having seven. ” 

“Yeah, you’re right. You’re absolutely right to be suspicious. See, it’s just…he didn’t exactly plan on having five kids. We just…kinda popped up in his life, he fell in love with us from the first meet and…we ended up with his names on our birth certificates.” 

“And he…falls in love just that easily? Just that simple and quick?” Robbie raises an incredulous eyebrow and Gabe is back to pursing his lips in curiosity. 

“With kids, yeah. Once he spends a little time with you, decides he likes you…he just ends up loving you. Like I said, Bruce just has a big heart like that. One minute you’re talking and maybe even rubbing each other the wrong way and the next, he’s our dad.” Jason shrugs helplessly. “He’s just…one of those people that’s kinda hardwired to be a parent. And he’s always felt like a wandering stray himself too. So it just…sorta happened that he’s a single dad of five kids.” 

“He is _not_ , though, gonna ask to adopt you and Gabe. He knows his bounds.”

There’s another long pause and then Robbie says slowly and carefully, “Okay. But…I’m not…ready for my brother and me to be loved by some rich white guy in a manor all the way on the other side of the country, Jay. That’s not in my daily agenda.”

Jason squeezes his hand. “I know. I know you’re not, baby. Believe me, I know. So is that…is that a ‘no’, then? I can call B to let him know your answer right now. It’s no biggie.” 

Robbie works his jaw as he thinks it over. He looks at his baby brother and sees…the rank disappointment Gabe is struggling to keep from his face. Gabe won’t make eye contact with either of them and he struggles with a quivering chin. 

Unable to bear that look, Robbie leans forward and lifts his brother’s chin. His voice is significantly softer as he asks, “Gabe, bro? How’re you feeling? What d’you say?” 

Ah. Gabe’s hazel eyes shine. “Like…say about this? About going to visit Jay’s family?” 

“Uh huh. If we go, we’re all three going together, so what you feel is important, lil bro.” 

Gabe’s eyes shine even more and his voice picks up more of its usual cheer. “I…I wanna go. I wanna get to ride on a plane and go to a new state and I wanna meet Jason’s family. I especially wanna meet Damian. I think…” Gabe pauses for a moment to bite his lip in pleasure at an idea. “I think Damian and I would be really, really good friends.” 

Jason, who’d been quiet up until this time, offers, “Nah, you’d be _best friends_ , kiddo. Damian’d love you.” 

“Anybody’d love you, Gabe. And it’s a plus that you two are the same age”, Robbie adds. 

Gabe beams. “Well, that’s how I feel about it. That’s what I want.” 

Robbie nods and turns his head to look at Jason. “Welp. I guess…we’ll be thinking about it Jay. We’ll let you know soon.” 

All three smile.

-

Indeed, Robbie and Gabe do think about it while Jason stays quiet on the subject to give them space. 

They think about it when they visit the grocery store (and Jason does _not_ sneak four more boxes of cereal than is needed at Gabe’s devastating doe-eyed look). 

They think about it when they visit Build-A-Bear again. 

They think about it when they settle down for a comic book-and-movie night. 

They think about it when they eat at Leroy’s Bar & Grill. 

They think about it when they snuggle up together during a thunderstorm and sleep. 

They’ve thought about it for a full week when Robbie finally pads into Gabe’s room. Gabe is halfway to sleep as Robbie sits down on his bed. “Bro? Can I talk to you for a minute?” 

Gabe yawns and nods sleepily and turns his head on the pillow to get a better look at his older brother. “Uh huh…” 

“You…still wanna go? Still wanna meet Jay’s family?” 

Gabe looks just a little more awake and a smile comes to his face. “Yep, yep! I wanna go.” 

Jason quietly appears in the doorway at the same time Robbie heaves a sigh. The Reyes look at Jason. Robbie heaves another sigh and asks Jason, “You’re _sure_ it’s going to be alright?” 

Jason smiles and comes over to sit beside Robbie on Gabe’s bed. He ruffles Gabe’s hair with one hand and takes Robbie’s hand with the other. “I’m sure. I promise.” 

Robbie looks between his little brother and his boyfriend, then says, “Welp. Guess we’re packing for a flight to New Jersey, aren’t we?” 

And it is on that night that Robbie very nearly loses his eardrums upon Gabe yelping like the world’s happiest puppy and Jason soon joining him. It is also on that night that Robbie very nearly loses all his oxygen as both Gabe and Jason wrap him in the tightest sandwich hug since he pretended not to notice the four extra boxes of cereal in the grocery cart. 

To New Jersey and to Wayne Manor it is.


	5. Flight to New Jersey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ain't it been forever, or no? This chapter is admittedly shorter, but oh my goodness, it's been forever.

It comes not thirty seconds after Jason, with Robbie and Gabe’s consent, sends Bruce the text message. The text message contains the Reyes’ picture from when all three of them went down to the beach for the weekend and with the caption _‘They said yes. This is Robbie and Gabe’_.

It really isn’t any more than thirty seconds. Jason barely has time to count down from the time his thumb hit ‘send’. 

_Three…two…o-_

His phone rings. 

Jason answers, “Yeah B?”

Bruce gets straight to it. “Jason, this is brilliant news. Absolutely brilliant. I’ll notify Alfred immediately. How many of them are there? Just those two? Where do they live and what time do they want to-”

“Bruce. Sit down. Breathe for a minute”, Jason interrupts with an exasperated eye roll and an affectionate smile. 

“I _am_ sitting down”, Bruce lies as he paces his study. “I just need-”

“No, you’re not. We both know you’re not. Now kindly sit down and let’s work on this together…all four of us. ‘Kay?” 

“Okay. Right. Of course.” Jason can hear rustling on the other end of the line, indicating that Bruce took his advice and sat the hell down. 

“Right”, Jason agrees. “Rob and Gabe are beautiful, aren’t they?” 

“They’re perfect. Absolutely perfect.” Bruce’s voice drips with sincerity and affection. “Which is…which?” 

“Oh yeah! Gabe is the baby bro; he’s ten-years-old like the demon child. And Robbie is the old man that’s still way, way too young for me. I mean, the dude’s _seventeen_ , Pops. Way too darn young.” Jason snickers as he dodges a pillow from Robbie. 

“Jason. Stop talking about your boyfriend like that. That’s not nice”, Bruce admonishes. “And they’re both wonderful either way. Shall we talk about arrangements?” 

“Yep. Hang on.” Jason presses the key for speakerphone and places his phone in the middle of Robbie’s bed. 

Gabe jumps in right away with a loud, “Hi, Mr. Wayne! Hi! It’s so nice to meet you! Thank you a ton for the _Grey Ghost_ comics! I really, really love them!” 

Gabe’s face alights with even more happiness when Bruce’s rare, hearty laughter rings through Robbie’s bedroom. “And it’s wonderful to meet you as well, Gabe! You are so very welcome and, if you bring the comics with you, we can pour over them and have fun together.” 

“Yeah! That’ll be lotsa fun, Mr. Wayne! I’d love that! Also…will you tell Damian that I can’t wait to meet him too?” 

“I most certainly will. In fact, I’m sure that once I tell him, he’s going to be very, very excited to meet you, in turn”, Bruce says. 

The resulting smile on Gabe’s face lights up damn near the entirety of the block. 

Shoulders bunched just a bit in nervousness, Robbie leans towards the phone and says, “Hey, Mr. Wayne. It’s a pleasure meeting you. Uhh…Jay’s told us so much about you and your other children.” 

Voice just as earnest and sincere, Bruce replies, “And it is more than a pleasure to meet you and Gabe, Robbie. I’m very happy that you’ve both chosen to visit and I’d like you to know that you’re more than welcome. We can’t wait to meet you face-to-face.” 

Robbie smiles a smile full of sheepish pleasure. “Uh huh…yeah. Same here.” 

And from there, it’s the most pleasantly stressful chaos of the Reyes’ lives in preparing to meet the Waynes. 

They all mutually agree for Robbie and Gabe to visit in one week and stay for two weeks (god knows Robbie’s worked enough overtime to earn such a…vacation). The next few days, they practically hang over Jason’s shoulder as they use their time to prepare for their first-ever flight. Jason gets out his laptop and gets on Expedia so they can both easily see him book their flight while sitting on either side of him on the couch. 

“Wait”, Robbie says. “Before you even start this, don’t we need passports? I…don’t think Gabe and I have passports.” 

“Actually, you only need a passport if you’re flying outside the country. So we’re all good, baby”, Jason explains. 

A light flush creeps up Robbie’s neck. “Oh. Wow…shi-crap. Wow. That was really-”

“ _Hey_ ”, Jason interrupts sharply. He glares at his boyfriend at the same time Gabe pouts up at his brother. “You’ve never fu-freaking flown before. So you ask me anything. You don’t know, then you don’t know and so you ask so that you can know. Ain’t nothing else to it than that. Got it?” 

“Yeah! I don’t know any of this stuff either, Robbie! And there was a time when Jay didn’t know any of this, too!” Gabe agrees. 

“Exactly. So hush and ask whatever you wanna ask, dangit. And if I don’t know it, then google is our best friend. You hear me?” Jason asks. 

Robbie nods and smiles. But that smile goes away quicker than a wisp of smoke when Jason finishes putting in all their information from the drop-down menus, clicks ‘search’ and then the rates come up on the screen. 

“Jason…” Robbie starts. 

Gabe, too, is staring at the screen. He leans onto Jason’s thigh and blinks once…twice…a total of five times before he asks, “Ummm…Jason? Are those flights or car payments?” 

“Better yet, are they _mortgage_ payments?”, Robbie adds. 

“Yeah, see I know this is, umm…overwhelming. I know. But, uhh…” Jason rubs the back of his neck and winces. “See, we’re not gonna, umm…worry about money here, so-”

Robbie’s humorless laugh cuts off his boyfriend’s words. “Ohhh, _we_ worry about money. We normal people worry about money. Why, we worry about money all the time.” 

“Y’know, money doesn’t really grow on trees…at least, not for people like us”, Gabe says. 

“Oh I know. _Trust me_ -I know. Just…think of this part as, like, the introduction into you guys coming over to meet my side of the family. Like, it’s just…we fly this way all the time and we want you two to fly this way too. Plus, it’s your first _ever_ flight and, well, it should be go-”

“What would your dad do if I tried to pay him back?” Robbie looks at Jason with a deadpan face and stony eyes. 

When Jason moves his jaw in that way that means he wants some spearmint gum to pop (in replacement of a cigarette to smoke), he furthers his guiltiness. He turns to a still-gaping-at-the-prices-Gabe and suggests, “Sweetheart, why don’t you put your earbuds in for a minute, hmm?” 

Gabe pretends to pout and pretends that he’s not perfectly aware that swears (which he uses anyway, _only_ around and with Jason) are coming. Still, he puts in his earbuds and blasts his Harry Potter soundtrack. 

Satisfied that Gabe can’t hear anything, Jason turns back to the other man and plainly states, “If you tried to pay my dad back, he’d just turn around and put all that money back in two, separate motherfucking trust funds for you and Gabe. And by the time you both found out, he’d give not a fuck and not a guilt and not a wit and you’d have to go through thirty fucking lawyers to get him to even consider canceling them or whatever.” 

“I’m just letting you know that if you try, that’s where all that money is going. The rest of us all have our own and, hell, I’ll make myself a note to talk to Bruce about not just going ahead and starting one for you and Gabe while we’re over there.” Jason sighs. “So…yeah. Just…don’t even worry about it, don’t even bother with it. Shit like this? Airplane tickets and even flying first class? He wouldn’t even know you did it unless he was staring at his bank account and actually looking for it.” 

Jason winces. “…I should’ve mentioned that a while before, shouldn’t I?” 

When Robbie doesn’t respond for a long while, Jason asks, “Rob? You wanna cancel? Remember, I told you: you change your mind at _any time_ you want here. The ball is completely-”

“No.” Robbie closes his eyes and shakes his head slowly. “No. Just…you know what? I don’t even know why I’m still surprised any more than I know why in the hell I even asked in the first place. I just…I don’t even know, Jay.” 

Jason winces, then offers, “You know, uhh…first class usually has wider rows and a hella lot more leg room than the other classes. That’ll especially be good for Gabe to maneuver his wheelchair around, yeah? Plus you and I have some long ass legs.” 

Eyes still closed and head still shaking, Robbie responds, “Just buy the goddamn first class tickets. Just buy ‘em. Go ahead. Do the clickity-click thing and just…go ahead.” He opens his eyes. “Like I said, I don’t even know why I’m still surprised.” 

Jason smiles softly and kisses his boyfriend soundly on the mouth. “You’re still surprised because you’re just not used to shit like this. You _and_ Gabe. And that’s more than okay. Trust me, there was a time when I wasn’t anywhere near used to this shit and sometimes I’m still not. But either way, you guys are gonna _love_ first class.” 

“Uh huh”, Robbie says. “So when are we going? We wanna be at your dad’s place by next week, right?” 

“Yep. So how about…this one for this Saturday?” Jason hovers the cursor over a flight option. 

“Sure, that’ll work”, Robbie agrees. Today is Tuesday and so this will give them more than enough time to prepare for traveling. 

While Jason books the flight, Robbie leans over to gently pull Gabe’s earphones out. “We’re doing first class, kiddo. Imagine that!” 

At the revelation, Gabe’s eyes go round as saucers. Jason smiles and nods in the affirmative. “Quite a surprise, ehh, kiddo? You excited?” 

Gabe’s delighted smile slowly blossoms over his face. Voice soft with wonder, he asks, “What all happens in first class? Like…they really feed you fancy meals?” 

“And uhh…there’s really a lounge area?” Robbie adds. 

Jason beams at both of them. “You know what? How ‘bout we look up this airlines’ first class stuff together? Of course, when we actually get there, it’ll be even more awesome.” 

Robbie and Gabe’s eyes light up as they settle in with Jason to research first class flying. 

-

But Gabe and Robbies’ curiosity and excitement on riding an airplane for the first time ever in their lives didn’t just stop at first class flights. Gabe in particular stayed glued to Jason’s laptop, researching and asking and exclaiming a thousand miles a minute. Robbie, in turn, listens in with only a few questions of his own. 

As Jason and Robbie help Gabe pack his favorite t-shirts on Thursday, his laptop is wide open and showing a slideshow of the airport’s stores. Gabe’s wide eyes fixate on the advertised toy store while the two older males wear quiet smiles. 

“You _sure_ they have action figures in there, Jay?” Gabe asks for the nth time. 

“Sure am, kiddo!” Jason assures. “And remember: we gotta be sure to get there early enough so that we have all the time in the world to look in the shops, get ourselves a little something to eat, and have some fun before our flight leaves.” 

Robbie grins as Gabe all but vibrates out of his skin with excitement. Gabe’s happiness shines through the whole apartment and Robbie and Jason can’t help but soak it up in turn. 

Gabe folds a pair of jeans into his suitcase and continues, “And there’s really gonna be all kinds of people there, right?” 

“Oh yeah!” Jason says as he starts on another t-shirt . “Lots of people from all over the world. Airports can be cool like that.” 

“And…can we maybe meet the pilot before we take off? Will the pilot be nice? How many lady pilots are there?” 

Robbie frowns slightly at that. “Uhh, bro, I don’t quite think we could do that. The pilot might be a bit too busy for us to get to meet them before take-off. But! I’m pretty sure there are some lady pilots around!” 

Jason nods in agreement. “Yeah. In fact, sunshine? I think you can click around on the airline’s website there and I’m pretty sure you’ll be able to find some stuff about the pilots, including if there’s any lady ones.”

Gabe does just this. The room is soon filled with his exhilarated squealing at the sight of three female pilots on the airline’s roster. 

Even more questions follow in rapid succession and Robbie and Jason couldn’t be more content. 

But…there’s a look on Robbie’s face. When this all started with him coming back to Robbie with Bruce’s query, that look was little more than a slight twinge in his facial expressions. Just a twinge, a twinge that Jason couldn’t quite read, but it was so small that he had a feeling that whatever caused it didn’t bother Robbie all too much. 

Now, that little twinge has become a full-blown look and Jason is worried. Yes, Jason is very, very worried. When he glances at his boyfriend, though, to ask what’s going on, he just gives him that little smile that lets him know that he’ll tell him later. He promises, he’ll tell him later. 

-

It’s Saturday morning, the day of their flight to New Jersey. If the Reyes could feel any more nervousness and excitement at the prospect of their first-ever flight, they would’ve imploded on themselves. Gabe talks about one-hundred miles a minute as he slips on his Captain Marvel backpack filled with the Grey Ghost comics and he won’t take it off even when they get to the airport. Robbie still wears that…look on his face and in-between preparing breakfast with Jason, he glances at the other man. 

All three of them are lucky; it’s a clear, beautiful summer morning and there are no announcements that their flight may be cancelled whatsoever. 

Jason works hard all morning and afternoon to reign in his patience and worry at that look on Robbie’s face. Concentrating on Gabe’s exhilarated, bumblebee-like flitting around the apartment helps him in that. 

And sooner than all three of them realize it, they’re stuffing the trunk of Jason’s Camaro with their luggage and driving the hour-and-a-half to the airport. It’s even sooner when they all finally arrive. 

They still have quite a few hours before their plane is announced, and so they spend it exploring the shops and marveling at all the many, many different kinds of people to be found in an airport. The three of them especially do some good damage in a Build-A-Bear, with Gabe carefully crafting a pink ninja teddy bear with sparkling nunchucks to play and share with Damian. Robbie grudgingly lets Jason buy him a new pair of shoes, assuring him that he’ll need it for all the walking they’ll surely do in the city. They take a light lunch in one of the cafés and Gabe loves the little complimentary chocolate chip cookies so much that he stuffs it into his backpack to save for later. 

Robbie and Gabe’s hearts pound when the boarding for their flight is announced. Thankfully, they don’t have nearly as much problems as they thought they would maneuvering Gabe’s wheelchair onto the ramp and then onto the plane. Gabe sits in the middle of Robbie and Jason and all three of them hold hands as the plane starts to take off (Jason also made sure to warn them that plane rides can be pretty bumpy). Gabe can’t help but lean slightly out of his chair to stare out the window in wonder as the ground gives way more and more to the evening sky. 

It’s after dinner and Gabe is knocked out and sleeping in his brother’s lap when Jason tries again. He has to try again, or else he just might vibrate out of his skin a bit. 

Jason starts slow and gentle. “Hey, baby? C’mon. You’ve been giving me that look for a while now.” Jason shifts slightly in his seat to look more-squarely at Robbie, who’s running a hand through Gabe’s hair.

“What’s going on? You wanna turn back? Is that it? As soon as we land, we’ll turn right back around and go home.” 

Robbie slowly shakes his head. His hand keeps gently carding through Gabe’s hair. He turns his eyes onto his boyfriend and that look goes soft. It goes soft enough…that Jason can finally understand what it is. 

Humbled bewilderment. 

Robbie’s voice is just on the verge of breaking. “You come all this way just to see us? Hell, you really _drive_ all this way just to see us?” His eyes search the other man’s face, trying to find the truth that is there when he can only feel disbelief. 

Jason can only smile and lift Robbie’s free hand in his. He presses a tender kiss to the back of his knuckles and quietly declares, “No way is too far.” 

At that, Robbie gives a watery, overwhelmed smile. He leans forward to snuggle his head against Jason’s muscled shoulder. In response, Jason keeps his hand in Robbie’s and snuggles his head atop the other man’s. 

Both men fall asleep over Gabe as their plane takes them to New Jersey.


	6. Reyes Meet Waynes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And for the moment we've all been waiting for, dears! Drumrooooooooooooooooooll please! 
> 
>  
> 
> Also: **warning** for some mild mentions of ableism towards the end.

All three of them blink and then it’s the mid-afternoon and they’re inside the airport…at New Jersey. 

For the first, and perhaps not the last time, Robbie and Gabe are really and truly in New Jersey. 

They look around in wonder at the new airport, at all the people that move and mingle and mill about and around them. Robbie carries his and Gabe’s backpacks while Jason pushes Gabe in his wheelchair. 

They’re looking for-

“Hey, guys?” Jason asks, nodding to the left of them. “Look who’s here. See who that is?” 

Gabe and Robbie turn their heads to the left and see…

…Alfred Pennyworth himself holding up a sign that says in block letters ‘Welcome, Gabriel and Roberto!’ The elderly butler wears an impeccable black driver’s uniform. When the Reyes make eye contact with him, his face brightens until they’re sure that the very late-morning sun is inside the airport with them. He lowers the sign just a tad and gives them what has to be a very-heartily-British wave. 

Slack-jawed with awe, the Reyes slowly wave back. 

Gabe’s eyes are round as saucers. He breathes, “…It’s Alfred. It’s really, really Alfred. H-he’s really, really real.” 

“Yeah, bro”, Robbie quietly agrees. “This guy’s…real. And…I guess we’re real, too. We’re here…too.” 

Jason grins and jerks his head towards the Wayne family butler. “C’mon, guys. Let’s go say ‘hi’ and then we’ll get on to my dad’s house.” 

“Sure, babe. That’s why we came here, huh?” 

“It’s…really Alfred…” 

Jason chuckles and guides the two of them over to Alfred. Alfred tucks the sign under his arm and meets them halfway, his smile still bright with warmth and welcome. 

“Oh, Master Gabriel! Master Roberto! This is simply _marvelous_! We are so very glad that you are here, young sirs! Quite glad, indeed!” Alfred exclaims. 

Gabe blinks slowly up at Alfred. Slowly, he repeats, “…You’re really Alfred. ‘Alfie’. You’re really, really real.” 

“Yes indeed, Gabriel!” Alfred nods, smiling at the ten-year-old and shaking his hand. “I am just as real and your brother are.” 

He turns to smile at Robbie and shake his hand next. “And Roberto, how do you do, young sir?” 

“I’m…doing great, thanks, Alfie-uh, Alfred.” Robbie is still in a bit of a daze. 

“Ah, you may call me ‘Alfie’ if you like. Why, I daresay that calling me such helps make me not feel so ancient.” Alfred winks. 

That gets a bit of laughter out of Gabe and Robbie. Alfred laughs with them, and then turns to Jason. “Young Jason, I do trust that you’ll be fetching their bags while I lead them to the car?” 

Before the Reyes can protest, Jason nods, a smile still on his face. “Sure thing! Be right back!” 

Jason goes to get their bags. Robbie pushes his brother’s wheelchair, following Alfred out to the car. 

And it’s once more before they know it when all four of them are piled into the black Rolls Royce- _a real Rolls Royce_ -and on their way to Wayne Manor. Gabe, cradling his Captain Marvel backpack sits up in the front passenger seat beside Alfred and is deeply engrossed in both looking all around inside the car and watching the scenery pass by. Robbie sits in the back and is in much the same state as his brother.  
Jason has since reached across the plush seat to tightly hold his hand. In response, Robbie gratefully holds his hand back just as tightly. 

“Uhh…thanks for picking us up in your nice car, Alfie! It’s so nice of you”, Gabe gushes. 

Robbie nods. “Yeah, thanks. This is…I mean, Jay told us that his side of the family is, uhh…just on this side of loaded. We, you know, kinda don’t come from money like this ourselves and so it’s a real honor like this. Thanks a bunch.” 

Alfred beams at Gabe and then Robbie in the rearview mirror. “Nonsense. Simply nonsense. The honor is all ours in your being here. Do understand that our home is your home and everything we have is at your disposal and so we insist that you relax as such.” 

“And speaking of your being here, I understand that this was your first ever flight?” He asks. “Pray, did it go well?” 

From there, Robbie and Gabe launch into a recount of their first flight they’ve ever had in their lives; it was thankfully a combination of slightly-scary, comfortable, incredible and, well…comfortable. Alfred specifically asks Gabe if the airplane’s accommodations were adequate for his wheelchair and there’s a genuine breath of relief from him when Gabe enthusiastically answers ‘yes’. 

In the middle of the recounting, Jason’s phone beeps, signifying a text message. With an eye roll, he informs the other occupants of the car that Damian has been waiting and he’s _impatient_ and _anxious_ to finally see Gabe. He lets an excited Gabe take his phone and text back a cheery ‘Hi, Dami! It’s Gabe! Almost there!’.

Gabe nearly rockets out of the car when Damian replies with exclamation points and a ‘Hello, Gabriel.’. His face may just about split in half from how hard he’s smiling as he hands Jason his phone back. 

“And Roberto and Gabriel, are you both quite sure you would not like a nap first thing?” Alfred asks. 

“Oh, thanks, Alfred. But I’m fine; we slept plenty on the plane”, Robbie answers. They did indeed sleep pretty well in-between the lunch and breakfast on the airplane.

Gabe agrees, “Yeah, I’m not really sleepy, either. Plus, we’re gonna meet Damian soon!” 

Jason leans forward from the backseat to affectionately ruffle Gabe’s hair. “You sure are, sunshine! You sure are!”

Alfred smiles at both of the Reyes in turn. “Well, then, if you will both forgo a nap, then a good afternoon tea first thing is called for.” 

Gabe tilts his head in curiosity. “You have ‘afternoon tea’, Alfred? Is that a…British cultural thing?” 

Jason turns his head towards Robbie, winks and mouths “White British people”. They share a low snicker.

“Indeed it is, Master Gabriel!” Alfred affirms. “Although most-certainly there are a great many cultures all over the world that have quite a few customs in regards to tea. ‘Tis most fascinating.” 

Gabe’s eyes shine at the prospect of learning something new and he clutches his Captain Marvel backpack even tighter. “That does sound fascinating! You got a lotta tea, Alfred?” 

“I _do_ possess quite a bit of tea. And if you like, I would love to have you sample them with me, Master Gabriel! You too, Master Roberto.” 

“Oh yeah, sure. I’d like that, too”, Robbie responds. 

Jason pretends to pout at Alfred in the rearview mirror. “Hey, what about me? I love tea, too! Probably even more than you do!” 

When Alfred meets Jason’s eyes in the rearview mirror, they’re lit with dry humor. “Yes, Jason, you do. And the main reason for that would be that we have sampled quite a few teas together during your childhood. You will excuse this time being about Gabriel and Roberto.” 

It’s the Robbie and Gabe’s turn to snicker at the still-pretending-to-pout-Jason’s expense. 

The Reyes then finish recounting their flight to an enthusiastically-listening Alfred, with Jason interjecting every now and then. As they talk, out the window, the metropolitan area gives way to the suburbs and then the suburbs gives way to a long, winding driveway that leads to a huge, wrought iron gate with an even longer driveway behind it and a hill atop that longer driveway. 

The Reyes slowly trail off as they stare at what’s atop that hill. 

Wayne Manor. 

The afternoon sunlight shines on it, illuminating the huge structure in all its extravagance and glory. Gabe and Robbie aren’t quite sure they’ve ever _seen_ anything like it with their bare eyes in all their life. And the mere thought of going inside, of living in it as deeply-honored guests for most of the summer…

“…Alfie? Jay? I don’…think that’s a mansion. I think that’s…probably more like a castle. Holy Grey Ghost…” Gabe slowly says. 

“Yeah. Castle. Palace. Fortress. Somethin’ like that…” Robbie says just as slowly. 

Alfred chuckles softly as he maneuvers the car up the first part of the winding driveway. He presses a button on the dashboard that makes the gates open for them with nary a creak. “Oh no, dear sirs. Merely a mansion that is now your home as well! Welcome to Wayne Manor!” 

Jason squeezes Robbie’s hand and feels a true, warm thrill go through him. “Y’know, I initially wasn’t too hot about bringing you two here because I worried that you wouldn’t feel too comfortable. But I can’t believe you two are here, either and I know you’re gonna love it. We’re gonna have _so much_ fun together. Just you wait!” 

The Reyes can only manage a dazed nod in response. 

Soon the Rolls Royce pulls up to the front of the mansion. Robbie and Gabe barely even feel a jerk as Alfred hits the break and shuts the car off. 

Jason leans forward in the seat to ruffle Gabe’s hair again. “Kiddo, I’ll get your wheelchair, ‘kay?” 

“And I, of course, shall attend to your luggage”, Alfred says as he gets out of the car to open Gabe and Robbie’s door. 

Gabe and Robbie try to protest once again, but the other two males are already up and moving. Alfred hands Jason Gabe’s wheelchair and then takes the Reyes’ luggage out and heads inside to no-doubt place it in their rooms. Meanwhile, Jason unfolds the wheelchair and helps Gabe get into it. With a wide smile on his face, Jason jerks his head for them to follow him. Robbie pushes his brother up the ramp that’s right beside the gargantuan stairs that lead to the equally-gargantuan double doors. 

Once they’re right inside Wayne Manor, the Reyes wonder if ever there’s been a human being that needs such an impossibly huge, lavish foyer. Robbie stops pushing Gabe and they just stop to _stare_. 

“Yeah, I know”, Jason sheepishly comforts. “It’s…yeah, y’know, if the boss man is hosting a party in the house, then he’ll usually hold it just in here. Y’know, ‘cause there’s enough room here…” 

“Uh huh”, Gabe says, his hands starting to feel numb around his backpack. 

“...We imagined as much”, Robbie adds. 

“Well, uhh…you guys ready to finally meet Bruce and Damian?” Jason asks. He doesn’t mention how he specifically demanded that, to keep from potentially overwhelming Robbie and Gabe more than they’d already be the whole place be empty save for Bruce, Damian, and Alfred. Tim didn’t mind too much; he’s crashing at Dick’s place in Bludhaven like he’s been wanting to for several weeks anyway.

Once again, the Reyes can only manage a dazed nod. Jason jerks his head for them to follow him again. As they look all around them, they follow Jason down the massive foyer, their steps and the slight squeaking of the wheelchair echoing. The three of them hang a right and down a smaller, but still ornate, hallway. They stop in front of a heavy oak door. 

Jason turns to the Reyes and asks, “You guys ready?” 

While Gabe eagerly nods his head, Robbie shrugs with a smile and says, “We’re already here, huh? Might as well be as ready as we’ll ever be.” 

Jason smiles back and then raps his knuckles against the door. 

From within warmly sounds in a deep voice, “Come in.” 

Jason opens the door and leads them into a parlor that’s…surprisingly far more cheerful than they thought it’d be.

Its colors are beige and sandy brown with gentle green undertones. Farthest across from the door is a massive fireplace that’s unlit for the summer. Right above the fireplace is a painting of a lighthouse against the backdrop of a majestic sunrise. Tastefully cloistered around the fireplace are beige couches, futons, armchairs and an ottoman or two. In-between that furniture is a long, heavy oak coffee table with a single vase of sunflowers at its center. Framing the places to sit are dark oak end tables with simple, unlit table lamps on them. 

And off of one of the futons stands Jason’s father. 

Bruce Wayne. 

The man is handsome enough as it is when he’s on the folds of magazines and the covers of newspapers and centers of TVs. But here, in the flesh, Bruce Wayne is…nearly unthinkable. Jason’s dad is even taller than both Robbie and Gabe thought. The hair at his temples is salt-and-pepper and the sight of it serves as a stark reminder that Bruce Wayne is, in fact, a human being that’s just as beholden to time as anyone else. He wears a plain, light-blue polo shirt and casual khakis. His bright blue eyes take in the Reyes as though he’s struggling to believe that they’re really, finally _here_ in his home and, at the same time, he never wants them to leave. The smile on his face as he takes in Gabe and Robbie is probably the same smile he wears on a Christmas morning. 

Gabe and Robbie try their best not to stare. 

But even if they are staring, Jason’s father either doesn’t notice too much and/or doesn’t care at all. He comes towards them with the same expression and demeanor, like their presence in his huge home is one of the greatest things to ever happen to him. 

Jason’s soft voice cuts through their trying-not-to-stares. “Gabe? Robbie? This is the Boss man, my dad: Bruce Wayne. And B? This is Gabe and Robbie Reyes, my little bro and boyfriend from Los Angeles. Uhhh…well, you guys are all meeting now.” 

Bruce Wayne nods at each of the Reyes in turn, and then extends his hand to Robbie. His voice is low, warm and smooth like the last bit of honey you scoop out of the jar. “It is an honor and a privilege to finally meet the both of you. We’re all so glad that you decided to spend part of your summer with us.” 

Robbie barely knows what the hell to do with the sheer genuineness of the older man’s enthusiasm. All that he’s able to concentrate on is trying to keep his hand from shaking as much as possible as he shakes Mr. Wayne’s hand. “U-uh, thank you, sir. Mr. Wayne. For, uhh…having us. It’s, umm…enjoyable for us, too. Thank you. Thanks.” 

That smile only gets bigger. “Please, call me ‘Bruce’. You’re welcome here; I understand that my home is…different for you, but please do not hesitate to make yourself at home.” 

When Robbie manages a jerky nod, Bruce directs his attention to Gabe and declares, “And the same goes for you, as well, Gabe. I hear that you like _The Grey Ghost_ comics just as much as I do!” He crouches down and reaches out a hand to gently squeeze Gabe’s shoulder. “You know, those comics were a great part of my childhood and so I imagine that you and I will have a lot to talk about, hmm?” 

If Gabe’s eyes could shine any more, they’d outshine the sun itself. He nods eagerly, clutching his backpack that’s full of said comics. “We do, we do, Bruce! I’ve always wanted to thank you face-to-face for letting me have these and so…thank you!” 

“You are so very welcome, Gabe. And you know, there’s someone here that’s not really the biggest fan of _The Grey Ghost_ , but they are exactly your age.” 

At that, a young boy enters the parlor from a side door. His skin is rich, deep tan that’s even darker than Gabe and Robbie’s skin and his thick hair is a deep jet black, the same as Bruce’s. Striking green eyes stare out of his dark face and study the Reyes with a quiet curiosity. Much of his face holds the beginnings of features that will resemble Bruce’s when he’s older. He wears a plain white t-shirt, dark stonewash blue jeans, and a pair of grey socks. His right hand casually rest at his side while the left is stuffed deep in his jeans’ pocket. Those green eyes briefly zero in on Gabe before going back to surveying everyone else. 

“This is my youngest son, Damian”, Bruce introduces as he stands up from his crouch. “He’s happy to have you all here, too.” 

Damian nods cordially to the Reyes. He extends his right hand to Robbie to shake. “It’s about time Todd brought you here. It is a pleasure.” 

Robbie nods as he shakes the little hand. He remembers Jason telling them that Damian-little ten-year-old Damian-speaks so formally and it’s really nothing personal, but just the way he speaks and so he’s not too jarred by it. “Uhh, thanks. Pleasure’s all ours, Damian. Jason’s told us a lot about you.” 

In response, Damian gives him a little smile that actually makes him look his age. He then extends his hand to Gabe. “And it is a pleasure that you are here as well, Gabriel.” 

Gabe enthusiastically grabs Damian’s hand with both of his and pumps up and down. His eyes are outshining the sun all over again. “No, no, it’s _my_ pleasure! It’s so good to finally see you, Dami! Uhh…may I call you ‘Dami’?” 

Damian gives Gabe a smile that’s just a tad bit shy, but significantly bigger, than the one he gave Robbie. “Yes. You most certainly may call me ‘Dami’. 

“Yay! ‘Dami’ it is, then!” Gabe exclaims. 

Damian seems to be unable to help but smile all over again at Gabe’s mannerisms. He finally pulls his left hand out of his pocket, revealing a game controller that he hands to the other boy. “Are you…familiar with the likes of Mario Kart, Gabriel?” 

Gabe shows his first signs of sheepishness. He keeps his Captain Marvel backpack in his lap while cradling the controller and nearly shrinks back into his wheelchair. “Umm, I’ve actually never played Mario Kart before. I’ve never had a console before.” 

“Ah!” Damian says. “Well, there is nothing wrong with that, though we will have it rectified immediately. Would you like to play? I should very much enjoy teaching you how.” 

Gabe perks up. “Oh, yeah! That’ll be great! And then…then you can show me how to play other games, too?” 

Damian inclines his head. “It would be my honor to do so.” He glances up at his older brother. “And I will teach you so well that you’ll soon be able to beat Todd with ease…not that he is a particularly good player to begin with.” 

Bruce and Robbie chuckle while Jason sticks his tongue out at his little brother. 

“You know what? The only reason that you keep beating me is because I don’t have nearly as much time to play as I used to, you little twerp”, Jason counters.

“Still”, Damian says. “You concede that you do not play as well as I do, and therefore Gabe will beat you for sure in the future.” 

Damian glances at his father, and then turns back to Gabe. “ _May_ I…push your wheelchair to my room so we can begin?” 

Gabe smiles at the other boy. “Oh, thanks, Dami. But I can follow you to your room just fine.” 

“Alright, then.” Damian jerks his chin towards the door of the parlor, indicating for Gabe to follow him. 

The two young boys exit the room, chattering all the while about Mario Kart…

…Which leaves Robbie and Jason alone in the parlor with Bruce. 

Robbie feels a deep tremor in his hands without the handles of his brother’s wheelchair to hold onto. But Jason takes one of his hands and guides him to sit on one of the futons that probably cost more than his monthly rent, plus the security deposit. Jason sits flush against him and doesn’t let his hand go. 

Bruce sits on one of the armchairs opposite them and Robbie…Robbie expects a million and one invasive, condescending questions about what he’s doing with his life. Why his family doesn’t have even an eighth of the wealth and assets that the Wayne family does. Why he’s hanging around his son. Also, if he’d be alright with a background check, because _surely_ a kid like him has nothing to hide-

“So Jason tells me that you enjoy cars, Robbie”, Bruce says, that smile still very much on his face. 

It takes a long, long moment before Robbie can reply. He opens and closes his mouth, but nothing but air comes out. His eyes trail over to Jason and his boyfriend just smiles softly. Jason squeezes his hand.

“Yeah, see? Told you he’s basically just a regular guy”, Jason says. 

Bruce catches Robbie off guard once again by looking… _lost_ as he looks between the two younger men. 

“Wh-what did I say that was wrong? Jason, doesn’t Robbie…like cars? I specifically remember you saying as much during a phone conversation. I didn’t mean t-”

“No, B”, Jason says. “Just, y’know, he’s not used to people like you, so he didn’t think you’d want to know about his interests upfront, ‘kay? He just thought you were gonna ask some other shit.” 

Bruce blinks while Robbie is torn between wanting to either kiss his boyfriend to the heavens or smacking his boyfriend straight to hell while he sinks as deep as he can into the futon’s cushions. 

“Oh”, Bruce says. He looks back at Robbie. “Well…yes, Robbie. I’m interested in your interests and I have absolutely no intentions of being invasive. I and the rest of the family are interested in getting to know you and Gabe, if you’d both consent to that.” 

Robbie nods slowly. Even as he holds onto Jason’s hand like a lifeline, he feels the ghost of a humbled smile on his own face. “Th-thank you, Bruce. I…we’d like to get to know all of you, too. And…yes. I actually like cars quite a bit. I work in a mechanic shop and sometimes I even tinker with Jason on his Camaro.” 

“Ah, that’s wonderful”, Bruce replies. “I know just a little bit about cars myself, though I’m afraid I can’t spend much time on them. I’m glad that you tinker with Jason, though; the two car enthusiasts in the family are Jason and Tim, in fact.” 

“Oh, yeah.” Robbie briefly looks away from Bruce to smile at Jason. “Jason told me about Tim’s love of cars. You really helped foster that and that’s…that’s good. That’s really good.” 

Bruce beams. “I’m always happy to indulge in my children’s extracurricular activities. And speaking of activities, you know that we have an extensive garage that I’d like for you to have fun in. I’d like for you to feel more than welcome to tinker and drive the cars at your leisure.” 

Robbie’s eyes blow wide open and he goes completely still. “Uhh…thank you. Sir. But…I’m…see, I’m afraid that I…didn’t bring any of my tools with me and I’m sure I don’t have any gas money for those kinds of-”

Jason leans over and whispers in his ear. “No, no, babe. He means that our cars are _your_ toys and he’ll worry about the tools and the gas and shit. You just have fun and play with them.” 

Robbie whispers back, “H-he wants me to actually… _play_ with his luxury cars?” 

“Yeah, see, he’s just-”

“What, is the insurance just that good?” 

“Well, probably. But either way, he just wants to make you and the sunshine happy here. He knows you like cars, he’s got a huge ass garage, put two and two together and it’s not that hard for him.” Jason squeezes Robbie’s hand. “Look, I know you’re shocked and overwhelmed, but I’m here and I’ll be right in the gara-”

“Oh, I’m ‘shocked and overwhelmed’? Is that the phrase? Because I don’t even think I know what the f-heck the right phrase is. Jason, this man wants me to _drive his luxury cars around_. And now you’re telling me that he doesn’t want me to worry about gas and such.” 

Jason winces like he did when he was first pitching the idea of them coming to visit his family here. “Yeah, I know. I know, babe. But it’s fine-it really is! Look, there’s plenty of backroads around the manor, so you can drive there if you feel uncomfortable driving through town-”

“Oh, so now I’m going to drive on private freakin’ roads around a mansion? In your dad’s luxury cars? What else, can I drive them at 3:30 in the morning, too?” 

Jason winces yet again. “Well…his kids do that all the time, so y’know…” 

He trails off at the look on Robbie’s face and tries again. “Look, baby. He’s not saying that he’s gonna buy you a luxury car just for yourself! It’s not that bad! Hell, better yet? I’ll drive the cars while you sit in the passenger’s seat, how’s that?” 

“…But I bet by the time Gabe and me go home, he’s gonna be thinking about buying me a luxury car just for me, huh?” Robbie guesses. 

Jason opens his mouth once, twice, to deny it or at least come up with some kind of comfort. 

Robbie slowly shakes his head at Jason, eyes still wide. “What is _wrong_ with this man?” 

“Okay, he’s a weird rich white guy-that’s what’s wrong. But…” 

Bruce watches the entire exchange between the two young men with a look of mild distress on his face. His mind scrambles to figure out what the hell he did so wrong to make Jason’s boyfriend so terribly shocked and uncomfortable. The Reyes’ haven’t even been in his house for two hours yet, and already he’s messed this up terribly. 

He cuts in gently. “Well…Robbie, would you…like your own luxury car to enjoy while you’re here? I can go through different models with you and-”

Robbie’s face turning ashen cuts Bruce off cold. 

Jason rubs his thumb over Robbie’s knuckles and gives his father a smile that’s more teeth than anything. “ _B._ We talked about shit like this, remember? Remember? That’s not helping at all.” 

Bruce glances between Jason’s halfway-to-teeth-gritting face and Robbie’s ashen face. “I apologize. I just…I thought he might enjoy the cars here.”

“Yeah, and you’re right about that. But he’s already just on this side of flabbergasted and he didn’t need you mentioning buying him an expensive car like it’s nothing. I _warned you_ about this; he’s not used to this kind of shit”, Jason all but growls. 

“Then how about I just start over: erase the bit about my buying him a car and let’s just keep to the part where he’s more than welcome to use the garage as he pleases. Let’s keep it right there, hmm?” 

“And y’know what? It should’ve stayed there from the very beginning”, Jason grouses. 

Robbie clears his throat and finally finds his voice again. “Mr. W-Bruce. I…yeah, Jason’s right. That…did really catch me off guard and I’m…I have a feeling that I and my brother are going to be spending our whole stay here getting…used to all of this.”

He clears his throat again. “But thank you a bunch for letting me use your garage and the…luxury cars inside. I ‘preciate it more than you know and I’ll, uh, be sure to indulge. So…thanks.” 

Bruce’s face goes right back to smiling at him. “You’re more than welcome, Robbie.” 

Robbie can’t help but smile back as Jason heaves a deep, deep sigh of relief beside him. 

Just then, a knock sounds on the door and in comes Alfred bearing a silver tea tray. Alfred moves to where they’re all sitting and sets the tray on the coffee table. He leaves briefly, and then comes back with a very, very pretty thing that…Robbie doesn’t know the name of and it sports three…tiers that are laden with little things to eat that, once again, Robbie doesn’t know the names of. 

He turns a broad smile on Robbie and announces, “Master Roberto, I have placed your and your brother’s belongings in your own rooms. Master Jason and Master Damian will most certainly show you to said rooms soon enough.” 

“Oh, thank you, Alfred. That’s…that’s really nice of you.” Robbie says, nearly flustered anew. 

Jason gives Alfred a shit-eating grin. “Say, Alfie? ‘Master Roberto’s room’ is just _my_ room, right? Y’know he’s staying in my room this whole time, yeah?” 

“Indeed, Jason, I very well know where Master Roberto will be staying for the duration of his stay with us. And you will be happy to know that Master Gabriel will be staying in a room not far down the hall from yours.” 

“You love me, Alfie!” 

“…I do believe I will have to get back with you on that, dear Jason. Now kindly serve Master Roberto tea, if you please?” 

Bruce and Robbie feel a bit of magic between them as they share a look of pure, teasing mirth behind Jason’s back. 

“Oh! Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah!” Jason turns back to wink at Robbie, and then leans out of the futon to get to down to it. 

Robbie can’t help the open look of curiosity on his face as he takes in the silver tea tray. Its contents consist of a polished silver tea kettle with vapor swirling out of its delicate spout; a teeny pitcher of milk; three dainty tea cups and three spoons that are surely china; six dainty saucers that are also surely china; three sets of beige cloth napkins; and two teeny silver containers that most likely hold sugar and honey. 

Jason pours Robbie a steaming cup of tea. He adds just a dollop of milk, then a spoonful of sugar, and then stirs. He places the cup on a saucer and puts it directly in front of his boyfriend. Next, he takes another saucer and starts filling it to the brim with the things on that pretty tiered tray.

Robbie’s face is still full of curiosity, and so Jason casually explains as he fills up Robbie’s plate, “This is, uhh…just a three-tiered tray that you put things on to eat for your afternoon tea. Yeah, Alfie’s _British white_ , one of the greatest kinds of white there is, and he carried that with him all the way to the States.” \

“Yeah, I see that…” Robbie says slowly. 

Jason and Bruce chuckle. 

Jason points to each thing on Robbie’s plate in turn. “So, this is what a watercress sandwich looks like, babe. These are the watercress leaves, these are the radishes and onions, and there’s just a little bit of salt to taste.” 

“Then, these are madeleine cookies; they’re just fancy cookies that are French. And macadamia cookies with extra almonds in them. Oh, and these are-”

“Chocolate covered strawberries? I _think_ I’ve at least seen those before. Probably even eaten them before, too”, Robbie snickers. 

Even as a light flush blooms up Jason’s neck, he snickers, too.

Bruce teases, “But, you see, Robbie? There’s some things around here that are normal.” 

“Uh huh…some things”, Robbie agrees. 

All three men chuckle. 

Jason next serves his father tea, and then serves himself. He makes sure Robbie sees him casually stuff a watercress sandwich in his mouth whole without a single reprimand from Bruce. Robbie grins in response, but just sticks with eating and drinking as he regularly does. 

And on top of eating regularly, he really should resume the conversation with Bruce. He wants to. 

He takes a sip of tea (who knew that milk could make tea so creamy?) and then asks Bruce, “So, uhh…Wayne Enterprises is into the sciences and inventions? Gabe and I hear every now and then when your company makes another breakthrough and helps more people.” 

Bruce’s face brightens. “Yes. Our family’s company is one of the global leaders in research and development. It’s hard work, but work that’s much-needed and quite often rewarding. I’d actually also like it if you and Gabe came down to my office to see things in action sometime.” 

It’s Robbie’s face’s turn to brighten, even if there is still that hint of sheepishness and shock around his smile. “I think we’d like that, too.” 

-

“Would you care for another cup, Gabriel?” 

“Oh, yes, please! Thank you, Dami!” 

“You are very welcome”, Damian says as he pours Gabe a second cup of hot cocoa. 

Their afternoon “tea” consists of hot cocoa with choices of marshmallows and/or whipped cream and sprinkles; chocolate chip and macadamia cookies; and sliced apples with choices of peanut butter or caramel dip. 

The pink ninja teddy bear with sparkling nunchucks that Gabe made for Damian sits close at Damian’s side. When Gabe pulled it from his backpack and proffered it to the other boy, he said it was one of the greatest and most unique gifts he ever received. Damian briefly cradled the bear and solemnly assured Gabe that it would always be treasured by him. Gabe responded with what was probably the biggest smile he wore since he came to Wayne Manor. 

On Damian’s TV screen, their Mario Kart game is paused and the game’s cheery, high-speed theme plays softly in the background. 

Gabe and Damian played for about half an hour before Alfred came in with their snacks. Damian put the setting on “easy” and showed not an ounce of impatience every time he had to pause and help Gabe with the controls. He even paused when Gabe didn’t ask for help just to teach Gabe all of the things he wants to collect and all of the things he wants to avoid. Damian let Gabe win the last two rounds, but Gabe still only feels marginally more familiar with the controller in his hands. 

And Gabe…Gabe has always wanted to meet Damian just as much as the other boy wanted to meet him. But somehow, he finds himself still blinking back tears at the quiet, but profound kindness of Damian Wayne. 

“You will get the hang of it”, Damian assures him as he picks up his own second cup of cocoa. “I assure you once I am done teaching you, will destroy Todd all over the place.” 

Gabe cradles his cup and finds something interesting in the deep, chocolatey depths. He’s sure his voice doesn’t waver too much when he says, “You’re really, really nice and patient, Damian. I…thank you.” 

The other boy snorts. “Not at all. I’m quite often the contrary, in fact. I simply waited for longer than necessary to meet you and now that Todd has finally brought you here, I find that I simply like you very much.”

Gabe looks at Damian. “No, no, I mean…y’know. A lot of other kids back home, they…they weren’t always…they didn’t always want to play with me. I mean I _have_ friends-really great, wonderful friends. But a lot of other kids, they just…they get impatient that I can’t do a lot of stuff and-”

“They are fools”, Damian sharply declares. “Just because you are disabled and less financially fortunate does not mean that you are not a rare delight to be around. It is they that are intolerable and they that do not know what they are missing out on. You’ve nothing to be ashamed of, Gabriel.” 

Gabe feels one of those tears that he’s barely holding back dance at the corner of his eye. He lifts one hand from his cup to dab at it and then gives a watery smile to Damian. “Th-thanks, Dami. Thanks a bunch.” 

Damian inclines his head, a small smile on his own face. “I believe that basic decency does not require thanks. I do understand, though.” 

There’s a bit of awkward, but warm, silence between them as they savor their snack. Damian breaks it with a clearing of his throat. 

“So. Have I finished reviewing all of the coins with you?” 

“Uhh…no! I think we were halfway through with that!” Gabe says. 

“Well, then, we must continue.” Damian picks up his controller. “I’ve personally founds that these coins are best used in particular strategies…” 

Gabe smiles and picks up his controller, too.


End file.
